Young at Heart
by ifonly13
Summary: A sequel to 'Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop'.
1. Chapter 1

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>It's hot in New York City. She's surprised that the pavement hasn't started to bubble under their feet yet, that the Hudson and East Rivers haven't dried up. Crime rates were up – the heat made people do crazy, stupid things like murder one another over the last bag of ice at the convenience store – and she had spent the last week working down her pile of paperwork until the inbox was empty.<p>

But the fact that it's scalding hot in the northeast only means that it'll be nearly unbearable in the south. Although there's the promise of days spent by the pool in her swimsuit rather than in a precinct bullpen, suffering in pants and short sleeves.

She has the air conditioning blasting, trying to beat back the heat seeping through the cracks of the windows as she packs the carry-on bags, focusing heavily on snacks rather than entertainment for the three hour flight. Kate figures Al will be out asleep by the time they take off – the nine thirty flight out of LaGuardia was the only one available once she found out the days she'd have off from work – so amusing the six year old isn't at the top of her list.

Kate yawns, feeling her jaw crack with the motion. Nap on the plane. Just need to get to the plane. She zips up the baggie of Cheez-Its and dropping them into the tote bag on the bar stool.

"Don't forget the gummy bears," he calls quietly, rounding the couch to lean on the counter.

She grins. "Those for Al or you?" she asks with a wink, opening the cupboard and taking the plastic tub of gummy bears out.

"Al, of course. I eat civilized snacks," Castle says proudly.

"Oh yes. Doritos and Skittles and peanut butter and fluff sandwiches are truly refined snacks." Her eye-roll is good-natured, transferring the gummy treats into a smaller Tupperware container, snapping the lid into place. "You got the suitcase packed?"

He reaches across the granite countertop, snags Kate's sleeve, and tugs her closer. "Just need to get Al's from upstairs. Ours is all set," he says before kissing her softly. "You packed the purple swimsuit."

"Mmm… So I did. You'll never get to see it in action if we miss the plane." Closing the top zipper of the carry-on, Kate gives him a shove. "Go get Al's suitcase, make sure she has everything."

As he heads upstairs for Al's room, Kate moves to the doorway of the loft, adding their second carry-on bag to the first, which has Castle's iPad, the book she has been working through, a few coloring books and a bag of crayons for Al in case she doesn't sleep. But Kate knows her daughter; Al will be out cold. Walking through the living room, she sees the girl already curled up on the couch with Penguin, snuffling as she naps in the Minnie Mouse dress that Castle had insisted on getting from the Disney Store uptown. Kate had vetoed the hair bow so Castle had improvised with a red headband, the same one currently slipping off the mass of brown curls.

She leaves the girl alone, knowing that waking her up will just rile her up, causing her to get underfoot as they do the last-minute packing, and goes to get her and Castle's suitcase from the bedroom. She checks, not that she doesn't trust his packing skills, to make sure that the bathroom bags are tucked into the mesh netting on the cover of the wheel-along suitcase. They had divided up the bag, half hers, half his, and she can tell the difference just from glancing at the colors. His was neutral, ranging from whites to tans and greys and the occasional splash of color. Hers, on the other hand, was the polar opposite; lots of color with the hint of jean and khaki shorts.

Closing up the bag, Kate wheels it out into the living room, setting it by the door with the carry-ons. Castle is carrying Al's bright purple suitcase down the stairs so that the wheels don't hit the wall and wake the girl up.

"She have everything?" Kate asks, reaching up to comb her hand through his hair, thumb brushing his brow.

He ducks down, kissing her briefly before letting Al's suitcase join the collection. "That and more. We ready to move out?"

"Looks like. Let's wake up Minnie over there," Kate says, nodding toward Al. "She'll be upset if she misses the first part of this."

Castle stays by the door, looping one of the carry-on bags over his shoulder, and watches Kate move over to the couch. Even after four months, he's still blown away that she is, that they are, here. His wife and his almost-daughter – the lawyers were still working through the adoption process.

"Going?" Al slurs, rubbing her eyes as she walks over with Kate to the door.

"She's barely awake," Kate murmured into Castle's ear, grinning as Al fumbles with the handle of her suitcase. "Here, kid. Let me help."

But Al tugs away from her mother, shooting a look that she had to have learned from Kate, saying firmly, "No."

They wait, front door open as Al finally gets the handle up with a little shout of triumph and a glance that told both Kate and Castle that she obviously did all of it herself. Al pushes her headband back into place, grinning as she starts out the door.

"Going, Mom and Rick," she declares, down the hall to the elevator. "Come on."

Kate follows, letting Castle lock the apartment behind them. Castle has a car waiting down outside the lobby for them, the driver helping them load the suitcases into the trunk. Al crawls into the backseat after Kate, curling up against her side with her feet up on the seat, barely hidden by her polka-dot skirt.

"I guess I'm up front," Castle says when he ducks his head into the car and sees Al stretched out along the seat. "See how it is, denying me my girl."

"Oh, shush you," she returns after he slips into the passenger seat. "You can sit next to me on the plane. She'll still be out."

"Wasn't you I was talking about," he teases, bracing his hand on the driver's seat and turning around to meet Kate's eyes.

"Turn around, goofball," she says, slapping him lightly on his cheek. He catches her wrist, nipping at the thin web of skin between her thumb and forefinger. Kate can't stop the little groan that escapes as her eyes flutter shut when his tongue darts out to taste the salty sweat dried on her hand. "Rick… Stop."

There's no will behind the demand and he knows it. Still, he drops her hand with a cocky grin. He knows exactly what he does to her.

He keeps his hand stretched back, fingertips brushing her bare knee the entire ride to the airport. Castle helps the driver unload the luggage from the trunk as Kate rouses Al again. With the girl perched on her hip, Kate shoulders the carry-on bag and pulls Al's suitcase behind her toward the sliding doors.

"You have the tickets?" she asks, turning her head to talk to Castle, trailing behind her with the rest of the luggage.

"In your carry-on. Back pocket."

It's tricky, balancing the half-asleep toddler while trying to find the tickets and her wallet for her driver's license. There's one moment where Castle has to dive to push Al's shoulder back up onto Kate's chest as she slides toward the ground. But by the time they get to the front of the security line they've separated the tickets out, Kate holding onto Al's. The security guard doesn't try and get Al to walk through the body scanner by herself once the older man sees how out of it the six year old is.

The attendant is just calling the first group of passengers and they're able to sneak in with the crowd before the second bunch is called, Kate still fighting with getting Al's sandals back on until she gives up, handing their tickets to the woman scanning them.

"She's beautiful," the young woman says, smiling as she hands the tickets back to Kate.

Castle brushes his hand over Al's hair, pushing the headband back up and taming the front of the girl's curls. "We're rather fond of her when she's quiet like this," he says, all charm as he hands the attendant his ticket. "Chatterbox when she's alert."

They have the row to themselves. Kate settles Al in at the window seat knowing the girl will want to look out at the dark clouds if she stirs during the three hour flight. As soon as her seatbelt is clicked into place, Kate turns back to Castle, sitting on the end of the row. "Ready for this?" she asks, linking her fingers with his on his thigh.

"Ready for our four month over-due honeymoon? You bet."

* * *

><p>Al never wakes up on the flight from New York City to Orlando. They get off the plane with Castle carrying the sleeping girl and Kate toting the two carry-on bags. He leads the way to the car rental after they gather up the two suitcases from the conveyor belt, moving through the lobby of the airport hotel with its palm trees and fountain. He speaks quietly to the man at the rental desk, aware of Al's head lolling against his shoulder as he exchanges a signature on the receipt for the keys.<p>

"Nothing extravagant," Kate warns as she watches him scan the rows of cars, his eyes lingering on the sports cars. When he still hesitates, she steals the keys and heads toward the sedans, picking out one of the unobtrusive silver cars from the lines.

Castle groans as she unlocks the doors. "Awww, Kate. It's our honeymoon. Can't we have a little fun?"

"Nope. Safety first, especially with that one," she says, pointing the keys at Al. "Buckle her in while I get the luggage in and set the GPS."

She can't hear him whine about her taking over the driving as she pockets the keys and starts loading the suitcases and carry-on bags into the trunk of the car. He flashes her a disapproving look on his way around the front of the car to the passenger seat. "You owe me," he says as she pulls out from the slot, following the instructions from the voice from the dashboard GPS.

The highway is dark at almost half past midnight and more than a little deserted. The usually thirty minute drive from the airport to the gates takes only fifteen with Kate zipping between cars and eighteen wheelers until she can see the spotlight-lit gateway.

"Wake her up," she whispers, nudging Castle. "She'll want to see this at least."

Al's groggy when Castle shakes her foot slowly. "What?"

"We're here," he says, pointing up through the front windshield.

"Disney!" Al says, fighting through sleep to smile. "Look! Minnie!"

Kate smiles, looking back at the girl through the rear view mirror. "Just like your dress, kid. And Mickey. What're they?"

"Mouses."

Castle doesn't have the heart to correct Al's grammar. Not when she staring out the front of the car with wide awake eyes, hands curled around the hem of her dress. She grabs up Penguin by the wing, sitting the bird on her lap and letting him look out the window too. "See, Pen? Minnie and Mickey Mouses."

It's another five minutes from the front gates of Disney to the security check-point at Old Key West, long enough for Al to drift back into sleep. A perky brunette, too perky for past one in the morning, confirms that they're on the arrival list, welcomes them home, and wishes them a good night. They drive over the bridge and Castle can make out the fountain in the water next to the golf course before Kate takes the left hand turn into the parking lot in front of Hospitality House.

"You want to go check in while I stay with Sleeping Beauty," Kate asks, still speaking softly as Al mumbles in her sleep.

"I'll be back," he returns, leaning an elbow on the center console to press a kiss to her lips, feeling them turn up under his mouth.

Kate sits back in the seat, closing her eyes. The air is heavy with humidity, alive with the chirping of cicadas. She's glad her dad passed on the timeshare that came with the Vacation Club because some time surrounded by Victorian architecture and cool pastels will be a welcome change to the skyscrapers and harsh neutrals of the city.

"Mom? Here?"

She turns around, hand on the back of Castle's empty seat. "Yeah, kid. We're here. Just letting Rick get us our room and then we'll be able to go to sleep for real."

Al stretches, rubbing a fist of her eyes before sighing back into sleep, her head hitting the window. "'Kay."

Castle slides back into the car, a packet of information in his hands. "We're in 3321. First intersection, take a right then our second right."

Kate pulls back onto the main road, traveling along the river to their left until she turns onto the correct road. The parking area in front of the building has a few empty spaces and she backs into the one closest to the stairs; no need to struggle getting the sleeping toddler and the luggage up to the second floor.

Castle stuffs the information booklet into his carry-on, keeping the room key out, before shouldering the bag. "I'll get Al, you grab the suitcases?"

"Deal."

When Castle pushes the front door open, the room is dark. He doesn't flip one of the lights on knowing it would wake Al up. Instead, he drops the carry-on in the hallway and figures out which of the two bedrooms is going to be Al's. There're two queen-size beds to pick from so he throws the covers back on the first one his foot connects with.

"Should probably change her into her pajamas," Kate murmurs from behind him. "Come on. Help me search for them in her suitcase."

They go into the living room and turn the light on in the kitchenette. While Castle explores, Kate opens Al's bag for the pajamas that she packed. "Find our pajamas," she reminds him as she takes the shorts and tank back into Al's room. "Meet me in our room."

It takes a few minutes to wrestle the Minnie Mouse dress off her daughter, laying it out over the table in the corner of the room. Al's pajama shorts are colorfully striped, the bright red tank picking up one of the shades. As soon as Kate has her changed, Al curls up onto her side, snuggling the pillow against her cheek.

"Night, kid," Kate whispers before kissing the girl's exposed cheek.

She nearly screams when she turns around and hits Castle in the chest. "What're you doing?" she demands, hissing under her breath.

"Saying goodnight to my daughter," he says simply. "Go to bed, Kate."

But she doesn't. Not right away. Instead, she leans against the doorframe, watching with the dim light as Castle braces his hand on the bedside table to say something to Al before taking the headband from her hair and kissing her temple.

"You happy?" he asks, linking their hands on the walk down the hallway to the master bedroom.

Kate hums, stepping out of her shoes and shorts before stripping her shirt over her head. "More than. Sleepy, though." She turns down the bed, crawling into the cool sheets moments before Castle joins her. His fingers trip over her side, down along her waist before up again at her hips. "Too tired for that tonight, Rick."

He sighs, breathing hotly against her ear. "Tomorrow night, then."

She turns enough for him to capture her mouth. "Love ya," she mutters on a yawn.

"Back atcha, Kate."

* * *

><p><strong>Note from Logan: Here's to another journey with Kate, Rick, and Al. I'm still overwhelmed with the support for <em>Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop<em>, by the way. Let's see if we can do it all over again?**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Young at Heart**_

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><p>She wakes up slowly, stretching her legs out so they hit the sheets she and Castle shoved to the bottom of the bed last night. Or this morning, technically. Her skin's clammy from the humidity and from the heat radiating from the man close at her back. It's way past her normal wake-up call, the sun shining through the slats of the wooden blinds on the windows. But for the first time that Kate can remember, there's no real reason to get out of bed.<p>

And one good reason to stay right where she is. Kate rolls over, hooking a leg over Castle's thigh, and pulling herself so she's sprawled over his chest. "Morning, handsome," she murmurs a moment before she presses her mouth to his.

It's beautiful, watching him wake up under her. His eyes open, squinting against the sunlight, until the corners of those blue, blue eyes crinkle with delight. "Hey, beautiful." He reaches up, brushing a hand over her hair, tangling his fingers in it so he can pull her down for another kiss. "Still tired?"

"God, is that the only thing on your mind?" she groans, letting him tip her head back so he can trail open-mouthed kisses down her jaw and throat. He nips at her pulse point, using his tongue to sooth the quick burst of pain.

His voice vibrates up the column of her neck when he hums, "Maybe." In a movement so smooth Kate could have sworn he had rehearsed it, Castle flips them over. "Think we have time before Al wakes up?"

"She gets up early," Kate responds, pulling his earlobe into her mouth then blowing warm air over the area. "Might need to be fast."

"I can do fast," he says, tugging her bra strap off her shoulder. He moves his mouth to the joint, feeling her leg tighten around his waist. Kate could feel his growl against her chest as he makes his way along the curve of her breast, carding her hand through his hair to hold him there.

"Guys, we're in Disney!"

They barely contain their groans when Al runs into the room, tripping over her own feet before hitting the side of the bed. Kate pushes Castle off her, fumbling for the sheets before turning to smile at her all-too-awake daughter. "Yes, we are. What're you doing up so early, kid?"

"Not tired no more," Al states, scuffing her feet against the carpeting.

"You know what?" Castle says, reaching over Kate's waist to tug on Al's tangled hair. "Why don't you go find clothes for today and we'll go get breakfast at the restaurant?"

Al throws her hands up in the air. "Yes! Love you!" she calls as she runs from their bedroom back down the hall.

Kate slumps back against the pillows. "This could be difficult."

"I can still do fast," he whispers hotly against her ear, his fingertips already dancing up her abdomen to the valley between her breasts.

"Not worth it," she sighs, turning her head to face him. "Up. Time to feed the child."

Even getting out of bed, knowing what they could be doing, makes Kate wince. It's not like they aren't active in bed, but part of her, part buried way deep in her heart, thinks that if it weren't for Al, they'd be on a normal honeymoon to Hawaii or the Bahamas having hot sex all over their condo. Kate wipes away the thought quickly; if it weren't for Al, she and Castle never would have met. No sex is better than sex without Al in their lives.

Kate feels his eyes wandering her body as she searches for her discarded clothing in order to go out and get the suitcases from the living room. "Stop thinking about it," she warns, shooting him a look over her shoulder as she settles on his t-shirt.

"Can't stop."

She leaves him with her laughter as she walks down the hallway and into the living room. Their suitcase is against the coffee table next to Al's. Kate pulls the handles out and wheels the purple one into Al's room. The girl is sprawled out on the bed.

"Get dressed, Al," Kate says, swinging the suitcase up onto the empty bed. "Ten minutes and we're on the road."

Castle is in the bathroom when Kate gets to their room. Tugging his t-shirt off, Kate unzips the suitcase and starts unloading their clothes. She clicks the TV on, flipping through the channels until she lands on the local news, waiting for the weather to flash on. Hot. Go figure. She finds a sun dress covered with large red flowers and slips it over her head, tugging the hem into place. Somewhere in the depths of the suitcase she knows there's a pair of gladiator-style sandals with black leather straps that would go perfectly with the dark outlines of the flowers.

As she's searching, Castle comes back out of the bathroom. "You look pretty," he comments, giving the skirt of the dress a tweak that sets it swinging.

She gives him a kiss as he leans in front of her for his clothes. "Thanks, but I only wear this when I don't care what I look like." Ah-ha! There are the sandals. She tosses them onto the ground and steps into them, buckling the straps around her ankles.

"Ooh. Quoting 'It's a Wonderful Life.' Clever," Castle says, finding a pair of cargo shorts, a white crewneck t-shirt, and a short sleeved blue shirt. "But you're much prettier than Violet."

Kate grabs the bathroom bags and goes to brush her teeth and untangle her hair. She braids it quickly, tucking the fly-away strands behind her ears. They pass one another next to the whirlpool Jacuzzi tub and he steals another kiss.

"Mmm… Toothpaste."

She gives him a shove on his chest, her hand slipping under the unbuttoned blue shirt to scrape lightly along his pectoral. "You're a goofball."

As he brushes his teeth, Kate puts their clothes into the drawers under the television. They have a little over a week and she'd rather not live out of the suitcase if they don't have to. He sneaks up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and resting his head on her shoulder.

"Plans for today?" he asks, nose inches from the television screen.

"Magic Kingdom. Where the magic started." Kate unwraps his arms from her, turning around to press a kiss to his cheek. "She might crash by the afternoon. Maybe we can spend the rest of the day by the pool?"

"And get the chance to see you in that swimsuit? Yes please!"

Kate links her fingers with his as they head back to check in on Al. The girl is struggling to comb her hair in a pair of jean shorts and a teal tank top. "Mom? Help?"

She takes the comb from Al and starts working through the tangles in the curls. "What do you want to do with it?"

"I got it," Al says, pulling away from her mother. Kate watches as she easily gathers her hair up into a ponytail, securing it with a hair elastic. "Ready for breakfast!"

"Almost. Just need sunscreen."

Kate smoothes the lotion into Al's exposed shoulders and her face, paying attention to her nose and the tips of her ears. Castle waves off the tube of sunscreen insisting that he goes straight to tan. But when Kate asks him to do her back after she rubs the lotion onto her arms and face, he doesn't hesitate to massage her shoulders, his thumbs digging into the taunt muscles there. Kate barely holds back the little moan of pleasure as he hits a knot of tension. She ducks away from him with a sly grin.

"Come on. Breakfast," she says.

He pockets his wallet and the room key card while Kate snags her wristlet from the kitchen island. Their building is a walk from the little boardwalk where they checked in last night but Kate makes the executive decision to stroll there rather than take the resort bus. Al has hold of Castle's hand as she skips along the shell-encrusted pink sidewalks. They dodge a pair of teens on bicycles on the bridge over the river to get to the boardwalk, their bells ringing out a warning.

"Can we ride?" Al asks, keeping a grasp on Castle's fingers as she turns to look at Kate, trailing behind them.

"Maybe, kid. Got something else planned for today."

Olivia's isn't busy when they walk in and give their name to the hostess at the little podium. They're given a table by the windows, handed menus, and told that their waiter will be right over.

The walls around them are plastered with family pictures, strangers smiling outside the pool at the resort or at photostops around the parks. Most of the photos have last names and dates typed or handwritten along the bottom.

After a cheerful older man took their orders, Kate sees Castle scanning the photos. "Vacation Club members," she explains. "They don't take submissions anymore because… well, you see why." The pale yellow walls are barely visible between the multicolored frames collaged on the walls.

"Mom, you up there?" Al asks, spinning the napkin ring on the tabletop.

"Yes," Castle insists, touching her knee under the table. "Is little Kate Beckett up on the wall of fame?"

She grins but shakes her head. "Mom didn't want to send our picture in. So, no. No embarrassing photos of me grace the walls of Olivia's."

Breakfast is eaten to the sounds of Caribbean steel drums before the waiter tells them that they really need to come back and try their piña colada bread at dinner. When the three of them step back outside, the weather had turned from 'warm' to 'scalding.' The roof over the breezeway outside the restaurant provides shade as they walk past the check-in to the bus stop.

Al plops onto one of the benches, legs swinging in the empty space below. "Hot."

"Yeah, kid," Castle says, resting his hip on the back of the bench. "Very hot." When Kate comes to stand next to him, he leans over to whisper into her ear. "Just like Mom."

She shoves him but smiles. "Hush. Public place with little ears." Kate picks Al up and sits on the bench with the girl on her lap. "Ready for magic, Al?"

"Magic?"

"Mhm. Lots of it," Castle responds.

It takes two buses before the one for the Magic Kingdom pulls around. Al struggles to get off Kate's lap and is halfway to the bus before Castle can grab the girl up around the waist.

"Slow down there, speed racer," he says, dropping Al back onto her feet but holding onto her shoulder. "Let everyone else get off before we rush to get on."

There are only a few people getting off the bus before Castle lets Al go first in their group. Al holds the handrail carefully, shrugging off the offered help from both Castle and Kate. Seats are open along the left side of the bus and she uses one of the vertical rails to pull herself up onto the purple seat.

"Next to me, Mom!" she shouts, patting the empty seat next to her, wiggling in excitement. When Castle moves to take the offered seat, Al pushes him away. "Not you, Rick! Mom!"

"I see how it is," Castle mutters, sitting a seat down and letting Kate move around him to sit next to the girl. He turns to Kate, linking their fingers on the area between them. "You still love me or do you want to exile me to the back of the bus?"

Kate hums, obviously pondering the idea of kicking him to the back. "I suppose you can stay. Only if you behave," she adds as he inches their joined hands closer to her hip.

The automated voice on the bus welcomes them aboard and Kate watches as Al sits at the end of the seat, listening as it explains the basics of the Magic Kingdom with its different lands. "We'll be there soon!" says the man's voice before it cuts back to the same Caribbean music they had heard at the resort.

"How soon?" Al shouts, sliding back into the seat with a huff.

The bus driver hears and meets Kate's eyes in his rear view mirror. "'Bout ten minutes or so, princess."

That seems to appease Al's sigh of impatience because she suddenly grabs hold of Kate's free hand, turning it over in her lap to trace the lines across her mother's palm. Her daughter's fingers tickle but Kate tries to ignore the urge to giggle by hooking her foot around Castle's calf.

"Are there rules for this trip that I should know about?" he murmurs into her ear, breath ruffling the fly-away hairs that curl around her temple.

She turns his hand over, mirroring Al's motions on his wide palm. "No obscene spending. One family picture per park. None of those weird buttons for first visits or 'Just Married'." Kate glances up and sees him watching her fingers mapping the contours of his hand. "Anything else is pretty much fair game. Just, you know, ask before we do something crazy, okay?"

"Sounds fair," he responds, capturing her pointer finger as it trails up his. "No 'it's a small world.'"

"Why not?" Kate asks. She loves that ride even though the song will be stuck in her head for days after riding it.

"Because no one likes that ride. Why spend the hour standing in line just to ride on a little boat and hear children sing to you?"

"That sounds like fun!" comes from her other side as Al pokes her head around Kate's body. "I want to do that!"

Kate does the childish thing and sticks her tongue out at him. "Majority rules, Rick."

"How old are you two?" he asks in disbelief, taking his hand back from Kate.

"I'm six," Al says matter-of-factly, holding up the correct number of fingers.

Kate grins as he rolls his eyes.

"I think you both are. Fine. We can go on 'it's a small world' but I won't be happy about it."

She braces a hand on the seat between them, giving him the softest of pecks on his lips. "I'll buy you a Mickey Bar after."

"Ooh, bribery," he says, running his thumb over the skin on the inside of her wrist. "I approve."

"Quiet! We're here!" Al shouts, tugging on Kate's arm and pointing to the bus station that they're pulling into.

Again, Al's the first one off the bus, thanking the driver as she runs past him. Castle is on her heels, trying to stop her before she dashes straight down the aisle between the two sides of the stop. Kate walks behind them, slower, admiring the image that the two of them make. He's amazing with Al, stumbling at points but finding his footing quickly. Castle may not be her biological father but he's filling the role in the ways that truly matter. She sees him catch Al around the waist, lifting her up onto his shoulders before turning to face them.

"You coming, slowpoke?"

Kate narrows her eyes at her husband's demand. "In my own good time."

Al tips her head down over Castle's, their noses meeting. "She's so slow," Al sighs.

Castle reaches up to ruffle Al's ponytail. "Not all of the time. She's just being mean right now. Ruining our fun."

"Ruining your fun, am I?" she says, sneaking her fingers under Castle's t-shirt to pinch lightly at his side. "I'll remember that later." Before he can retaliate, Kate continues walking toward the entrance of the park with its bag checks.

"Mom's mean," Castle says again, starting after her with Al on his shoulders.

Kate glances back just as her daughter pats him on the head. "It's okay. We'll get ice cream."

"Thanks for cheering me up. At least one of the Beckett women care about me," he calls out just loud enough for Kate to hear him from her few feet ahead of him.

"You know what? I think I'll just go back to the room," Kate says, turning around to brush her shoulder past his. "No need to be dragging you two down."

Castle catches her elbow, looping his arm through hers to tug her along with them. "God, I love you," he tells her with the goofy smile on his face that radiates the emotion. "Besides, if you leave, who's gonna buy us ice cream?"

"Got your priorities in order, I see. Good to know." Her tone says 'annoyed,' but the look she shoots him conveys nothing but 'love.'


	3. Chapter 3

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>"Where to first?" he asks, unfolding the map he snatched up from the holder just outside of the stroller rental. "Space Mountain? Pirates of the Caribbean?" He turns to face Kate who is walking beside him, a hand wrapped around Al's ankle to keep her on her perch of his shoulders. "Haunted Mansion?"<p>

"And scare our kid?" she throws back, taking the map from his hands and re-folding it.

Al gives Kate's head a shove. "I'm not scared. I want to do the mansion."

"We'll see, kid," Kate says, pocketing the map and taking Castle's hand. "Got to show you some other things first."

"But mansion later?" Al clarifies, fixing her mother with a firm gaze.

"Later," Castle promises.

The area on the other side of the tunnel from the park entrance to the town square is crowded with families laughing and running for the souvenir shops and snapping photos. Kate was suddenly glad that Al was up on Castle's shoulders or she was certain the six year old would be off like a rocket toward whatever caught her eye. She glances up at the girl and sees her holding onto Castle's hair, eyes wide with amazement.

"Wish I had a camera," Kate whispers loud enough for Castle to hear over the shrieks of joy. When he turned his face down to hers, she flicks her eyes up toward Al. "She's overwhelmed."

Castle frees his hand and finds his phone in the pocket of his shorts. "Sneak one for me."

She skips ahead a few steps, raises the iPhone up but trying not to let Al see the camera go off. Al is too taken with watching the flag snap on the pole in the center of the rotary and the cast members holding bunches of balloons shaped like Mickey Mouse's silhouette. Kate checks the phone's screen for the picture, passing the phone back to Castle with a grin.

"Beautiful," he says, using one hand to set it as his screen lock, replacing a shot from their wedding reception. Then he hands it back to her. When Kate raises a brow, he says, "For when she sees the you-know-what."

He has a point. If Al is amazed at the little entrance before they hit Main Street, U.S.A., when she sees Cinderella's Castle for the first time, she'll be floored.

"So, Al. Whatda ya think?" he asks, turning his head to try and see her face.

"It's so pretty, guys," Al murmurs, tugging on his hair lightly.

They dodge the trolley as it rounds the center walkway, Castle snagging Al's hand as it darts out to try and pet the horse pulling the vehicle. "You want to get down, kid?"

"No. I like it up here," she says firmly, patting Castle's head. "I'm higher than everyone!"

"You certainly are," Kate says, winking toward Castle.

They round the corner of the Emporium, Kate jogs ahead and snaps another picture as soon as Al's mouth drops open. Her hands fall from Castle's hair to rest on her thighs as she stares at Cinderella's Castle in front of her.

"It's a castle," she breathes. "It's a castle."

"Mhm," Kate says, touching her fingers to Al's ankle. "For the princesses."

"Can we go see it?"

Castle shrugs. "I thought we'd start in Adventureland and see the pirates first."

That just makes Al more excited. She squirms on his shoulders, glancing down at Kate. "There are pirates, too?"

Kate adds, "And cowboys and astronauts."

"Mom and Rick?" Al says, tipping forward so that she nearly falls over Castle's face. "This is the best place ever."

Castle gives her forehead a push backwards. "Sit still or you're getting down." He lets Kate tuck his phone back into the pocket of his cargo shorts before he takes her hand, linking their fingers. Their shoulders bump as they move to the sidewalk. "You have a plan here since you tossed mine away?" he whispers to her, his nose brushing her ear.

"There're a few rides that she needs to go on. Classics, you know?" She rubs her fingertips over his, feeling the warmed metal of his wedding ring between her fingers. "Most of it is Fantasyland but we can skip around to the other lands if she's still got energy by the afternoon. We can always come back and hit up some of the other places."

"So, first picture in front of the castle?" When she levels a glare at him, Castle shrugs. "Makes sense to me. Plus we'll get this one," he says with a nod toward Al, "while she's still alert."

Kate sighs. "Fine. Let's find one of the photographers. Might as well make this official."

The college-aged boy with two cameras hanging off his neck and a nametag declaring his name as Aaron positions them in front of Cinderella's Castle. Al refuses to get off Castle's shoulders so the boy steps back another foot to take a series of quick pictures.

Castle thanks the boy, taking the little card that Aaron tells him will have their pictures on them digitally so they can order the photos online all at once. He slips the card into his wallet next to the three park passes so they don't lose it. "Wasn't so painful, was it?" he asks Kate as he bounces his shoulders so that Al squeals with delight, clutching both of his cheeks to anchor herself.

"One down, three to go." Kate tugs them toward the ramps up to the castle. "Come on. Gotta get in line for my favorite ride."

Five minutes later, he rolls his eyes. "Your favorite ride is the carousel?"

Kate reaches for Al, getting Castle to help the girl off his shoulder so she can stand against the rail separating the line from the ride. "Don't judge. I went on this ride every single time my parents and I came down here. It's fun. Plus, you don't have to go on if you don't want. Al and I will have a blast, won't we, kid?"

"I wanna ride that one!" Al shouts, pointing out one of the horses on the edge of the carousel. "Come on, Rick! Ride the horses with us!"

"You'll love it," Kate says, nudging him with her arm. "You love horses."

"Yeah. Except I was thinking horses of the cowboy variety, not… those." He waves toward the horses circling, all beautifully painted with golds and jewel tones.

"Aw, Rick. Look! That's your horse," Al decides, pointing out another one along the edge, right behind her choice. It's perfect for him. It was decorated with shades of tan and deep blue, a whip coiled on the flank of the horse. "Cowboy horse."

Al's excitement about the ride sizzles through the air until Castle can't help but push ahead in the line as the cast member lets them through. The girl dashes for the horse she claimed earlier, holding onto the front leg of the carousel horse until Kate and Castle catch up.

"Help?" Al asks, turning to Kate and wiggling her fingers above her head for the twisted gold pole.

Kate lifts Al up onto the horse, hooking the waist strap around the girl's body, and making sure it was snug before she circles around Al's horse to the one on the second rank. She glances back at Castle as he swings up onto the horse as a cowboy's horse. He mimes the tipping of his hat with a wink.

"Get along, little misses," he says as the ride starts up.

She makes sure to keep an eye on Al as she pretends to get her horse to go faster and faster as the carousel spins. The few times she does look back at Castle, she sees him holding his phone against the ear of his horse, definitely videotaping the girls. Kate rolls her eyes but lets him continue; might as well let the boy-at-heart have his fun before she drags him onto the teacups and The Enchanted Tiki Room and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.

When the ride slows, Al's face falls. "Again!"

"We've got other things to see, kid," Kate reminds her as she unbuckles the safety belt and lowers Al to the platform.

"Like princesses?"

"Definitely princesses," Kate says, flashing a grin back at Castle when he groans. "Which one first?"

Al quirks a brow. "Belle. Duh."

"Why 'duh'?" he asks, opening the gate for the girls before letting one of the other fathers grab it. "What's so special about Belle?"

"She reads." The girl throws a look back at Castle. "And she looks like me."

"Think she looks more like Mom than you," Castle disagrees quietly. When Al glares, he shrugs and holds his hands up defensively. "Let's be honest, Belle has brown hair and brown eyes. You, kid, have some very pretty brown hair but you do not have anything close to brown eyes. In fact, you have rather blue eyes. Which would make you only slightly like Belle. But," he says, tapping Al's nose lightly, "I appreciate the love of reading."

Kate sighs, steering them toward the right to circle around the carousel toward 'it's a small world'. "I married a nine year old."

He catches her hand behind Al's head, rubbing his thumb along hers. "Might be the other way around the way you're charging toward rides designed for children, Kate."

The line for the boat ride through the cultures of the world is just as long as she remembered it being from when she came with her mom and dad years ago. For one of those rides that stuck an earworm in your head for the rest of the trip, 'it's a small world' was certainly popular. As they stand in line, Al bouncing on the balls of her feet in front of them, Kate whispers the history of the attraction into Castle's ear.

"Built for the World Fair in New York as part of the UNICEF pavilion. President Eisenhower actually had something of a hand in helping Walt come up with the idea after he formed the People to People group. Walt was present for the creation conference for the student ambassador program and it sparked the idea for 'it's a small world.'" Kate glances up at him as they inch forward, one hand on the back of Al's tank top to keep her close. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"It is so hot that you know all of that," he whispers into her ear.

Her fingers hook into the pocket of his shorts, touching his hip through the fabric. "Control yourself for the rest of the day. Got it?"

"There gonna be a reward for this tremendous show of restraint on my part?"

She hums, bumping him with her elbow. "I recall being told to buy you ice cream. Isn't that reward enough?"

Al overhears the magic words and spins around, her ponytail hitting the elderly woman in front of her. "Ice cream?"

"After the ride, kids," Kate says with a pointed glance at her husband.

Al insists on sitting on the edge of the boat by the time they get through the queue to the edge of the water canal. There is a brief scuffle between Al and Castle over the spot until Al decides to pull the 'I'm cuter than you' card and ducks under Castle's arm as he gapes at Kate for backup.

"That's playing dirty," he scolds, sliding into the boat between the girls. He turns to Kate, puppy-dog eyes aimed straight at her. "I'm cute, right?"

Kate rests her palm against his cheek, her thumb running over his lower lip. "Oh Rick, you are definitely not cute." His eyes lose their glimmer at the same time as his mouth drops open. Kate holds her poker face for another second, just long enough for the rest of the boat to fill in. Then she lets the smirk take over. "You are handsome and sweet and kind and smoking hot. All of which are infinitely better than cute."

He smiles at her, an expression that she returns. Until his teeth nip lightly at the pad of her thumb, causing her to jerk her hand back into her own lap. "I like cute better."

"Really?" Kate asks, tracing her finger over the inside of his wrist. "Not even the smoking hot part beats out cute?"

"Might have to reconsider my earlier statement actually. Now shush," he murmurs, placing his forefinger over her lips. "I've got a song to get stuck in my head."

Al leans onto his lap, pushing between them. "Stop. It's gross. You're gross." The girl sighs dramatically then sits back to watch the children sing around them. There's a giggle from behind her and Al turns around, using the back of the bench to face the man behind her, covering his mouth to try and stifle the laughter. "What? They're gross, right?"

The man's grin is leaking from behind his hand as he shrugs. "I'm staying out of it."

"Smart decision," Castle says, placing a hand on Al's head and turning her around. "Quiet unless you're singing along, kid."

As soon as they are out of the boat, the repetitive tune permanently engrained in their brains, it is Castle who is hanging on Kate's arm, begging for ice cream. "You are only furthering the belief that I married a child, Rick."

"Come on!" he whines, tugging her toward one of the carts. "You cannot tell me that you don't want ice cream too! Al, get on my side."

The girl skips ahead, pressing a hand to Kate's stomach to stop her. "Mom, please?"

It's that tone of voice. The one that Kate had never, ever been able to resist when it came from her daughter. Matched with the two pairs of blue eyes currently staring her down. Denying them seems cruel.

"Fine. You guys can have ice cream," she says, shooing them toward the cart.

She finds a bench and plops down on it, watching as her husband picks Al up into his arms to figure out which type to get. The sun is hot on her shoulders and she can feel them burning even through the sunscreen lotion she put on that morning. Maybe the pool won't be their best bet once Al slows down from warp speed. She presses on her shoulder, sees the skin pale from the light red it was currently at.

"So, what's next?" he asks, sitting next to her with Al on his lap.

Castle has a Mickey Bar, crunching into one of the ears of the bar and leaving the outline of chocolate on his lips that Kate wants to kiss away. Al is unwrapping an ice cream sandwich made from two cookies, chocolate chips along the edge of the vanilla ice cream.

"I don't know. What do you want to do, Al?"

The girl takes a bite into the sandwich, getting cookie but no ice cream. "Pirates?" she says hopefully.

"How about the Haunted Mansion first? Then we can do Pirates before seeing how we're doing on time and energy." Kate reaches over to wipe the chocolate off of Castle's mouth.

He holds the one-eared mouse-shaped ice cream bar up to her lips. "Eat his other ear." She rolls her eyes and instead focuses on moving a napkin over Al's lap to catch the chocolate chips still falling from the edge of the sandwich. The little lopsided mouse followed her face, dancing on the popsicle stick. "You want to, Kate. You know you want to."

"But I don't."

"Did we mention that Mom's mean even when there's ice cream around?" Castle said, leaning forward to stage-whisper into Al's ear.

Al rests a sticky hand on Kate's cheek, fingers spreading the melting ice cream into her hair. "Mom's not mean, Rick. She's the best."

Perhaps the pool just won its place back in the day's line-up. Kate wraps her fingers around Al's wrist to wipe the napkin over the girl's palm. "Thanks, kid." She tugs Al off Castle. "Let's start over toward Liberty Square. One question, though, Rick." She waits until he's looking at her, a brow raised as he bites into the other ear of the ice cream bar. "You afraid of ghosts?"

"Oh, very funny," he says, looping his free arm through her elbow as she heads toward Liberty Square and the Haunted Mansion.

"I'm serious," she throws back, grabbing Al's hand as she starts to run off. "Are you?"

"I'm not!" Al declares, nearly dropping the mess of an ice cream sandwich still held in one hand. "Ghosts don't scare me."

"That's right, Al. We ain't afraid of no ghosts, Mom."

As he is laughing with Al, Kate ducks over and nips off a bit of the chocolate covered vanilla bar in Castle's hand. With a quick swipe of her tongue, she licks off the bit of chocolate left on her mouth, winking at the man at her side. "Good."

The three of them squeeze into one of the cars on the ride, Kate squished between the two who spend the entire ride clinging to one of her arms. The ride gets stopped halfway through, probably due to people taking flash photos, and they're stuck staring at the ceiling as they were supposed to be traveling backwards down a hill. Kate has to keep slapping Castle's hand away from the hem of her dress that he continues to inch up.

"Just because we're in the dark doesn't mean you get to be handsy," she hisses into his ear. "You are rapidly losing the reward I had planned for you this afternoon."

Suddenly, her thigh is cooler from his missing hand, now placed back in his lap. His eyes are fixed on the dark ceiling, purposefully avoiding her gaze. Wow, he really wants to get her alone when they're back at the resort.

He keeps his hands off her until they reach the end of the ride. She's surprised that it's Castle, the man who gently teases her about being afraid of specters, who is clutching for her arm when the hitchhiking ghost takes his place in the car on the ride out. Even Al giggles at his face in the mirror, grabbing his hand once they're out of the car and chanting "Rick's afraid of ghosts, Rick's afraid of ghosts" as she drags him from the dark exit out into the Florida sun.

"Kate, will you quiet your daughter?" he pleads, glancing back at her as Al leads the way with a firm grasp on his fingers.

"My daughter? This morning she was our daughter," Kate comments, swiping at her forehead with the back of her hand. "Keep your facts straight."

He rolls his eyes, taking Kate's other hand as she nods toward Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean. "Fine. Quiet our daughter please."

Al grins, patting his hand comfortingly. "It's okay. At least you didn't scream. That would have been bad."

"Do I have any allies left in this family?"

Kate shrugs. "I'm sure your mother will still love you even if you are a little scaredy cat."

"Rick?" Al asks, waiting until the man stops glaring at Kate and turns a suspicious look at her. "You afraid of pirates too? Cause I don't wanna sit next to you if you are."

This time, Kate couldn't hold back the laughter even with the help of her hand pressed to her mouth. Nor did Castle's frown when he heard the noise from his side. "You are so gonna pay for that, Katherine Beckett."

"What? No dessert after dinner tonight?" Kate teases, lifting up on her toes as they walk to touch her lips to the spot below his ear. "What a shame."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>They make it through Pirates of the Caribbean and a ride through the jungle with a skipper that makes even Castle chuckle with the jokes and a quick stop in the Fairytale Garden to meet Rapunzel. Castle insists on going on the teacups and spinning his girls so fast that it is Kate who is fumbling for his arm and laughing into his ear as he holds onto Al's hand. Their last stop with a girl who was already moving slower than she had when they had gotten off the bus that afternoon was the Laugh Floor where the camera turns on Castle as "the guy who will buy the audience churros after the show," an honor he says he'll gladly fulfill.<p>

But they exit the mock-comedy show with Al up in Castle's arms, her head resting against his shoulder as she fights off sleep.

"Back to the resort?" he asks quietly, trying to duck his head down without losing balance with Al there.

Kate runs her fingers through the end of the girl's ponytail. "Mhm. Could use a nap too."

He grins, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Wait until we're back in bed. I can only carry so many Becketts at once."

"Princesses?" Al murmurs against his neck, fingers curling around his shirt as she shifts.

"We'll come back and find them later," Kate responds, stroking a finger over Al's soft cheek. "They had to go back to the castle for dinner."

The excuse seems to calm Al as she settles back into Castle's arms as they walk back toward the bus stop. When they hit the exit turnstiles, one of the cast members stamps their hands with invisible ink telling them to show the stamp if they wanted to come back that night. There was a short line at the bus stop under the place where their bus would pull up.

Castle leans his lower back against the olive green rail and shifts Al up further. Her flipflops fall to the ground and Kate scoops them up, hooking the bright blue shoes on her fingers as she tucks herself against his side. "Is she out for good?"

"Looks like it," he says, glancing down at the girl in his arms. Al's got her forehead against his neck, eyelashes tickling him lightly. "Lots of excitement for one afternoon."

"I remember crashing my first day here," Kate sighs, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Dad had to carry me back to the resort too."

"Like mother, like daughter."

He pushes her hair from near her ear with his nose, lips brushing over the shell. "Think our kid will tucker out this fast?"

Kate smiles softly, ducking her head away from his so her nose presses against his bicep. "Guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we?" Her hand hovers over her stomach and Kate hopes Castle doesn't see. They've done this a few times, casually mentioning having another child, but that type of thing required clear minds and being alone and definitely fully clothed. And so far, such a moment hasn't presented itself. Soon, she reminds herself.

The bus pulls around and they step into the cool air conditioning. Al wakes a little, squirming until Kate touches her fingers to the girl's shoulder to still her. "Wanna listen to the man," she says against Castle's neck.

"You can listen next time," Kate replies, running her hand over Al's head. "Go back to sleep, Allie-bug."

"Why do you call her that?" Castle asks, leaning back against the seat and letting his pinky brush her leg. "Allie-bug?"

Kate shrugs. "Dad calls her that all of the time. Term of endearment, I guess."

"But you only use it once in a while."

"Wow, Rick. You could be a detective," she teases, winking up at him. "I just like Al better. Allie-bug is for special occasions."

"Why Al?"

Full of questions this afternoon, this man is. But she smiles, shrugging. "For the amusement value. You introduce someone to Al, you expect a boy. Instead, you get…" Kate gestures to the sleeping child. "It's funny."

"Why, Kate. I never thought you to be one to use your child for your own entertainment."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Instrumental versions of Disney songs play over the silence on the way back through the gates of Old Key West to their bus stop. Kate feels exhaustion settling over her making her leaning her temple against the vertical handrail next to her. Something's off. More than just a long week plus a three hour flight to Orlando followed by a day of rides and trying to keep up with her daughter. But she can't push through the fog to find the epicenter of the problem right now. Maybe later after the pool and a shower and dinner.

The walk over from the bus stop is short, the late afternoon sun adding a layer of heat onto her already warm skin. Her dress is sticking to her back and the leather from her sandals makes her feet slip a little as they climb the stairs to the second floor.

"You have a key handy?" he asks. "Mine's in my back pocket and I don't exactly have a free ha-"

Kate's hand dips into the pocket of his shorts and flips the worn leather open to slide the key card from one of the slots. "I got it," she grins, sliding the key into the door until the light turns green and lets her turn the handle. "Put her in bed. Just take her shoes off. She'll be up for dinner."

They split off; Castle heads for the bedroom while Kate goes for the kitchen. They need food which means a shopping trip sometime tonight. There's a coffee machine but only one packet of grounds. Not nearly enough for a week. That'll be first on the list, she decides.

Kate finds her phone in the exterior pocket of the wristlet and starts a memo.

"What're you doing?" he asks, free from the sleeping child so he can wrap his arms around her waist, chin resting on her shoulder.

"Grocery list. There's a Winn-Dixie about a mile from the gates that we can use." She turns her head, his nose hitting her cheek. "Figured we could let her nap, get a quick shower, then go shopping for dinner and stuff for the rest of the week."

"And where does my reward for being good fall into this plan?"

She narrows her eyes, ducking from his embrace. "You weren't good. Any chance you got, your hands were all over me." He's about to whine. She can tell from the way his eyes soften, turning a brighter blue. "No, Richard Castle. You are a fully-grown man. You do not get to pull the puppy-dog look on me."

Kate ignores what sounds like a whimper, as if she kicked a kitten in front of him, and heads toward their room. He's following her, his footsteps nipping at her heels. So she decides to tease him, pulling the thin straps of her sundress down over her shoulders.

He lunges for her, chasing her down the hall until he catches her around the waist, swinging her up against the doorframe. "You're a tease."

"What're you gonna do about it?" she murmurs, tilting her head up to meet his eyes.

"Shut you up, that's for sure." Castle ducks his head down and nips at her lower lip. He waits until her breathing hitches before he covers her mouth with his, running his tongue along her lip. Her hands inch up to his elbows, pulling him closer so that he crowds her against the door until she breaks off, needing oxygen. "I love you, Kate," he whispers, just as breathless as she, his head resting on her forehead. "I love you so much."

"Prove it," Kate says, twisting her hands into his hair and pulling his mouth back to hers.

But he doesn't need to. Not really. He never needs to prove his love for her.

Still, he reaches around her to unzip the back of her dress, drawing the material down over her body until it pools around her feet. Kate steps from the circle of white and red and black lines and Castle grabs up the dress, tossing it over the bench against the wall. Then he was back, fingers sliding along her still-sweaty skin, walking her toward the bed.

Even now, after almost a year of more than coffee in their cozy little shop, the smallest touch set her aflame. Kate boosts up on her toe tips to brush her lips over his as he sits her on the edge of the mattress to unstrap her sandals. Her hands smooth through his hair, twisting the ends as he presses a kiss to her knee.

"Close the door," she manages, nudging him with her foot. "And get rid of those clothes, Rick."

He runs over, shutting the door and turning the lock before dancing his way out of the cargo shorts and shirts. But Kate's gone from the bed, just her bra and panties left as a trail toward the bathroom. "Kate?"

The shower switches on and he swings into the bathroom, feet skidding on the tile. She's just stepping through the glass door when he reaches her. "You running from me?"

"Never." She lets him push her against the cool wall of the shower as she hooks her leg up around his hip.

* * *

><p>She's relaxed as she wrings the last of the water from her hair, twisting it up onto a bun as she makes the rest of the shopping list. Coffee is still at the top of the list, given the spot of honor before milk and frozen vegetables and cold cuts. She has priorities.<p>

"Want me to wake her up?" Castle murmurs into her ear, savoring the shiver that runs across her skin. "Can't leave her here while we shop."

"Yeah. Go get Sleeping Beauty."

He leaves her with a brush of his fingers over the fabric of her tanktop at her waist. She changed into shorts and a tank after the shower, slipping her feet into flip flops for the trip to the grocery story. No need to go to Winn-Dixie in a sundress.

"We goin' to the pool?" asks Al, rubbing her eyes as she stumbles down the hall before Castle.

Kate circles around the island and scoops Al up into her arms. "Tomorrow, kid. Definitely tomorrow. We've got to get food first. Where are your shoes?"

Castle insists on driving, stealing the keys from the island as she helps Al find the flipflops. He grins and she scowls the entire ride off of the Disney campus to the grocery store down the street. Kate slides her feet from her own sandals, resting her bare feet on the dashboard as she tips her sunglasses over her face, playing with the radio until she finds a Top 40 station that she can deal with. She glances back at Al; the girl is fast asleep again.

"We should have let her sleep," she whispers, just loud enough to be heard over Arcade Fire. "She'll be miserable when we wake her up to go inside."

"I'll stay in the car with her." He shrugs when she looks over. "You get whatever we need, I'll make sure no one kidnaps our girl."

"You're sure?"

This time he keeps his eyes on the road as he turns into the parking lot of Winn-Dixie. "Totally. Just make sure you get ice cream. We need that. And all of the toppings. And maybe Goldfish."

"You know there's a difference between 'need' and 'want,' right?" Kate teases, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair as she puts her shoes back on.

Castle hands her the phone and his debit card. "Duh. But when it comes to dessert and fish-shaped crackers and you, it's definitely 'need.'" He snags her hand as she takes the offered items and pulls her across the console for a kiss. "See? Need."

"Thanks for clarifying that, Writer Boy," she murmurs, tugging away. "See you in ten minutes."

The grocery store isn't too crowded and Kate is able to maneuver her way through the aisles for the essentials to last a week in record time. She wants to think most of that has to do with the fact that she doesn't have Castle adding every last thing to the cart and whining when she promptly took it out. Still, she manages to sneak in a few things he'll be happy with.

Al is still sleeping in the backseat as Kate loads the groceries into the trunk, head lolling against the window with her cheek smashed onto the window. Kate's tempted to take a picture of the expression to remind herself that the wildcat that is Alexandra Beckett can be tamed.

"There's a Macaroni Grill along the route back that's amazing. Or we can just make sandwiches at the resort," Kate suggests, sliding into the passenger seat once the trunk was filled.

"Probably best to just go back to Disney. I can't see her staying awake at the table to eat a meal in a restaurant."

Kate nods, setting her head against the back of the seat. "Good point. Plus, I bought ice cream and chocolate syrup and whipped cream for dessert."

His face lights up. "You know, Kate, what else those items are good for?"

"Putting onto something warm and soft and tasty," she says calmly, examining her fingernails. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see his mouth working, trying to form words and failing. It's adorable, how the man who makes his living by stringing words together to make something beautiful and meaningful is mute in this moment.

"Uh… I… Kate," he whines.

A smile breaks out on her face. "Waffles, Rick. I love chocolate and whipped cream on waffles. Whatever were you thinking?"

"Oh, you will so be paying for that."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>She set the alarm for the next day. They want to get to EPCOT and go to the pool in the afternoon which means they need to be up in the morning at a reasonable hour. But when the beeping starts, Kate turns over and pulls the pillows over her head.<p>

"Go away," she mumbles.

"Me or the alarm?" is the return.

Kate narrows her eyes, invisible to him under the pillow. "Alarm. Make the alarm go away. Please," she draws out.

She feels him reach over her and hit the Snooze. His arm flops onto her back, teasing up the t-shirt to dance along her spine. Her body doesn't want to get up and function. What she wants is to roll over and cuddle into his arms and go back to sleep for another day. Maybe two.

"You gonna get up, Kate?" he whispers into her ear, hand brushing her hair back from her face.

"No." He laughs but she's not joking. "Give me another ten minutes."

The mattress dips as he gets up and she can hear him walking toward the bathroom. Just ten minutes and she can act semi-human. Maybe all she needs is coffee. Mornings never were her thing. Kate shifts onto her stomach, burying her face into the pillows so that her hair blocks out the little light filtering into the room.

Castle touches her shoulder, fingers pressing lightly into the skin. "Should we get breakfast?"

"Mmm, yeah," she responds. "Be out soon."

She can hear Al wake up, alert immediately, and the sound of the two pairs of feet on the carpeting are muffled as they head into the kitchen before she closes her eyes and goes back into the dark of sleep.

The next thing she feels is the bed bounce as Al jumps onto it, clambering over to Kate's body and flopping on her back. "Mom! Wake up!"

Kate groans, reaching back to shove Al off her. "Not listening to you."

"Will you listen to me?" Castle asks.

She doesn't open her eyes but she knows he's right there, right next to the bed. "No. Wanna sleep." He picks her up, cradling her against his chest. Kate slaps a hand against his shoulder as she squirms, trying to escape. "Let me down! I can walk on my own."

"Apparently not since you're still in bed after half an hour."

"Half an hour?" she shouts, nearly hitting him in the knee as she fights out of his grasp. "I said get me up in ten minutes, not thirty!"

He follows her into the bathroom, stopping at the door that she closes behind her. "Kate, you needed the rest obviously. Listen," he says, resting his cheek against the wood, "Al and I will head to the pool. Go back to bed and meet us there once you're awake. Not a big deal."

Castle can hear her sigh then the door opens. "Okay."

"Okay?"

Kate nods, tangling her fingers with his for a quick squeeze. "Okay. Go to the pool. I'll be down in an hour."

He ducked his head to kiss her. "Love you."

"I love you too!" calls Al from the bed.

"Love you both back," Kate says quietly. "Go get to the pool. Save me a chair."

* * *

><p>She gets tired of sitting on the cool tile floor of the bathroom after she hears Castle and Al run out the front door. Her stomach quit rolling ten minutes ago but Kate didn't dare move in case it started somersaulting again.<p>

Kate finds her swimsuit in the drawers, changing from the pajama shorts and tank she had slept in into the purple bikini she knew Castle was looking forward to. She ties the strings behind her neck and digs for the soft grey sarong to wear on the walk to the pool and a pair of flipflops.

The walk from the room to the main pool is shaded, the sun not quite at the peak of its travel and the breeze plays with her hair. They're supposed to be at EPCOT, traveling around the world. Maybe this afternoon they can go back to Magic Kingdom and see Wishes instead. Make it an early night, order pizza, and get to the park to see the fireworks before bed. Good plan.

The pool is loud despite it only being ten in the morning. Kate pauses at the entrance, eyes scanning for her husband and daughter. Al has a green and pink swimsuit that she should be able to pick out from the blacks and neutrals, loud and vibrant like the girl.

"Hi, Mom!"

She turns and see Al running across the pool deck, waving her arms over her head. "Hey, kid. What'd you do with Rick?"

"Tried to drown me a few times, actually." He wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her back against him to press a kiss to her neck. "She failed."

"Darn. Still stuck with you," Kate sighs, turning her head to touch her lips to his jaw. "Where're our chairs?"

Castle nudges her toward a row of lounge chairs that are partially shaded by a grove of palm trees. There's a pile of towels on the chairs, marking them as taken. "Got a good view of the pool so you can keep an eye on Al while she swims."

"Who says I'm not gonna swim too?" she asks, unknotting the sarong and draping it over the back of the chair. Kate grins when his mouth drops a little. "Let me go jump in then I'll hold the fort here."

Al runs ahead toward the shallow part of the pool and Kate takes the moment to turn up on her toe tips and tug his head down to hers. His fingers tighten on her hips, pulling her closer in the shade of the trees. He gives her a half a second to breathe before his mouth is back on her, stealing her air while his tongue flirts into her mouth.

"Rick," she sighs, breaking off and letting her heels hit the warm concrete, her forehead against his chin. "You think this will ever stop?"

"I hope not," he says on a grin. "That is, if you are indeed talking about you wanting me."

"What else would I be talking about?" She shoves him, walking off toward the pool. "I'll be back in two minutes."

What she wants to do is dive into the deep end, skim along the bottom of the pool, and then spend the rest of the morning on the lounge chair as she watches the man-child she married and their girl splash one another into exhaustion.

Instead, Kate finds Al along the stairs into the pool and holds onto the warmed metal of the railing. The water laps at her feet as she steps into the pool, slower than Al who runs into the shallow end before she trips and falls into the water with a splash.

"Come in, Mom!" Al shouts, ducking her head under the water and soaking her hair.

The girl shrieks when Kate splashes her, sputtering angrily. "Not fair!"

Kate shoots off to the side as Al swims after her, grabbing for her mother's feet. "Everything's fair, kid. It's the rules of the pool."

"Rick! Help me get Mom!" Al says, waving at Castle from the pool. "She's being mean!"

He grins but shakes his head, sitting on the edge of the chair and folding the towels. "You're on your own."

"Come on!" She's breathless from chasing Kate in circles.

"Fine, fine," he says, giving in and getting up from the chair. "Just this once."

The water swells up as he cannonballs into the pool. When Kate pokes her head from the water, pushing the dark locks back from her face, he's right there in front of her. "Hey, pretty woman."

"Rick, don't you da – " she manages before he dunks her.

Kate grabs his knee and yanks, pulling him off balance so that he flails his arms out and falls onto his back in the water. Al's giggling behind them, watching as Castle finds Kate's hips and drags her under the water with him. She aims a kick at his stomach, twisting away as his fingers search in the water for her ankle.

She gets back to the surface and finds Al sitting on the stairs, eyes bright with humor as she watches the two. "You're funny," she calls.

Al points a finger over Kate's shoulder a moment before Castle leaps onto Kate's back. She shifts from under him and watches as he hits the water, swimming back toward the stairs before the man can emerge from the water.

"Make sure he doesn't hurt himself," Kate tells Al as she gets out of the pool, squeezing the moisture from her hair.

"Can do, Mom," Al says with a little salute.

Castle is glaring from the pool, his hair plastered all over his forehead. "I'll get you back for that," he yells, pointing his first two fingers at his eyes then back at her. "I'm watching, Kate. Always watching."

"You make a good Roz, Rick," Kate says, grabbing a towel from the pile and rubbing it over her arms.

Al pushes off the floor of the pool and attaches herself to Castle's back, making him topple forward into the water. She sits on the lounge chair, swinging her feet up, and digging into the tote bag Castle brought down for her paperback. Not one of his – something that still irks him after he saw her pack it in the carry-on.

She scoots back on the chair, leaning back against one of the folded towels. Her stomach is flipping as she thumbs through the pages for her bookmark. The dip in the pool, even with the unwanted wrestle session with Castle, should not have made her this nauseous.

Something else has to be up, she thinks, placing the scrap of paper that she is using as a placemarker in the back of the book. The last time she felt this out of balance had been…

No.

With one hand holding onto the book, her thumb in the pages to hold her place, Kate traces a finger around her belly button, the water droplets clinging to the pad of her finger. Not possible. They were careful. Always careful because as much as they want children, they wanted a year for just the three of them to settle into life.

But still, it feels like it did with Al. A little less frightening, knowing someone is standing next to her, ready to catch her if she stumbles this time around. Kate shakes her head, pushing the wet strands back behind her neck. Maybe she can find a test in the General Store and figure this out for certain.

She looks back at her book and tries to remember the details of the case that Alex Cooper and Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace were in the middle of investigating. Let the intricacies of the fake case distract her for a little while.

* * *

><p>The book has dropped from her hands for a while now. It's on the ground, the spine cracked in a way that will drive her up a wall when she sees it. Her head is cushioned on her forearm, mouth open as she snores quietly. Her hair is curling wildly from drying in the sun and her back is probably going to be bright red with sunburning.<p>

"Think we should wake her up?" she hears through the hazy of sleep.

"Nah. She looks too cute." There's the familiar click of his phone taking a picture and she knows it's of her.

Water drips onto her back, a cold spot on the heated skin, and there's a giggle. "Oops," Al says followed by the sound of her feet on the ground as she steps back.

Then she feels his finger press against the water droplet, dragging it in a swirl around her lower back. Kate keeps her eyes closed, focusing on the one spot of pressure. He's spelling something and she wrinkles her nose, trying to figure it out. S… Maybe an L. Double Es with the loop and tail of a P and a Y. She thinks he's done but his finger lifts up for a moment before starting a lower case H.

"You really spelling 'sleepyhead' on my back, Rick?" she asks, eyes shut but her fingers reaching back to snag his.

"Why're you tired, Mom?" Al's head pops into view, tilted on its side as she pushes her way onto the same chair as Kate.

Kate shifts, giving Al more room to cuddle against her front. "Cause you and Rick tuckered me out." She aims a look at her husband and is glad to see him blush just a little. "You two done playing in the pool?"

"For now. Want to head back to the room, shower, and find some lunch?" he says, letting his finger trail up and hook around the strings of her bikini top. "Then we can plan the rest of the day."

She swats his hand away, sitting up and pulling Al into her lap. "Sounds good. What do you think, kid? You up for lunch?"

Al pushes off from the chair, grabbing a towel and looping it over her head. "I want peanut butter and jelly!"

"Good thing we bought that yesterday at the store." Kate finds her sarong in the tote bag and ties it around her waist. "Where's my book?"

Castle hands it to her, grinning as she frowns. "What's wrong?"

She runs a finger over the spine with narrowed eyes. "Nothing." Kate loops her arm through his, giving him a tug toward the exit of the pool area. "Let's go get lunch."

"You're upset that your spine cracked."

"No," she protests quickly, taking Al's hand as the girl skips past her.

"You totally are. I can tell. We can tell, right Al?"

The girl turns, studying both adults carefully before shrugging. "Don't know."

"Good girl," Kate says with a smile. "You get dessert tonight."

"Yes!"

"You don't."

Castle's face falls when Kate speaks, turning toward her with his brows drawn together and his mouth open in shock. "You would withhold something sweet from me?"

She hipchecks him, shifting the tote bag up on her shoulder as they cross the street to the sidewalk along the bridge. "Only when you mock my love of books in pristine condition."

"Listen," he starts, taking her hand and threading their fingers together, "if it were one of my books, I'd be cool with your strange OCD-ness. But since it's one of my competitor's novels, I'll mock all I want."

"You know this means I might just go buy another copy so it looks nice on the bookshelf. That means she gets another bit of profit that you will be missing out on."

"Look!" Al runs ahead before pressing her face against the bars on the bridge. "The fountain's on!"

The water feature in the little pond along the golf course is spraying water up into the air, letting it arch back down into the stream. There's a few players on the green and Al waves, getting the men to wave back.

Kate yawns, covering her mouth with one hand. "At night it turns colors. Maybe we'll see it tonight when we come back from the fireworks."

"Fireworks?" Al says, spinning and wrapping her arms around Kate's waist. "I wanna see fireworks."

Castle taps Al's nose before starting back toward the room. "Lots of fireworks. But first, lunch, right?"

Al nods, taking Kate's hand again. "Right."

"And no dessert for Rick," Kate adds.

"Right," Al repeats. She smiles sweetly up at Castle. "Sorry."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>They eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out on the balcony. It overlooks the river cutting through the golf course and Al is completely taken with waving to the players as they drive by in the carts. Her face is up against the metal barrier, nose stuck in one of the Mickey Mouse cut-outs as she watches golfers chip their way toward the green.<p>

"Eat, Al, so we can get to EPCOT for a while," Kate prods softly, nudging the girl with her toes.

She turns, grabbing the triangle of her sandwich and biting into the center of the wedge. "Then fireworks?"

"Then fireworks." Castle leans forward, wiping the bit of ranch dip off the corner of Kate's mouth. "But you need to eat first."

Kate is working through a bag of baby carrots, dragging them through the container of dip. Her stomach had settled down after the shower but she's not going to push it, not even with comfort food. They snap as she bites into them, little pieces getting stuck between her teeth that she works out with her tongue. Her bare toes press into Castle's hip as she rests her feet on the bench. "We should get reservations at a few places for the rest of the week," she says. "They fill up fast and there's a bunch of restaurants that would be fun for Al."

"Make a list and we'll narrow it down," Castle suggests, taking a piece of crust that he had cut from Al's sandwich and eating it.

"Done!" Al exclaims, holding her hands out as if to prove that the sandwich was gone. "Can we go now?"

Kate zips the bag of carrots up and snaps the top onto the dip. "Definitely. Go grab your shoes and we'll meet you out there."

The girl runs off, a swirl of shower-darkened brown hair toward the bedroom. Kate gathers up Al's plate and heads into the kitchen, depositing the plate into the sink and returning the carrots and dip to the fridge.

"Listen," Castle says, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist and tugging her back against him, "if you're too tired to go to the park today, we can hold off. Spend the afternoon here with some DVDs from the Community Hall."

She tips her head back against his shoulder, turning to face him. "No, I'm good. Just a stomach bug, I think. Let's go wander around the world with our girl."

Castle crowds her against the kitchen island, his hands gripping her hips to keep her in place as he ducks down to feather his lips over hers. "Can't we just stay here?" he manages between kisses over her face.

"No. We're leaving." Al is standing in the hallway, shoes on, hair pulled back into a mess of a ponytail, hands on her hips. "Come on."

Kate quirks a brow at Castle, boosting up on her toe tips to kiss him one last time. "You heard the girl. Let's go." She slips into her flipflops, scraping her own hair back into a bun so that it's off her neck.

"Can we make out later?" he whispers into her ear as he uses her shoulder to balance himself, tugging his sneakers on.

"You gonna scream like a girl again?" she asks, tucking his wallet into his pocket after checking for the key cards.

He shrugs, hooking his finger in the belt loop of her shorts. "Might happen."

"Then you have your answer," Kate responds cheekily. She checks her phone for the time, pulling her lower lip between her teeth for a moment, doing the math in her head. "We should be able to get to a few things before we need to get on a bus to the Magic Kingdom for Wishes tonight. Except we'll need to get dinner at some point…" she muses, letting him guide her out of the room behind Al.

"Why don't we watch where we're walking and worry about dinner later?" he suggests, using his hand to nudge her chin up from her phone's screen. "Last thing we need is you tripping down the stairs and taking Al with you."

"We gonna take the bus?" Al asks, hopping off a step early, her flipflops slapping against the pink stone loudly. "I like the bus."

Castle takes her hand to steer her around the little gecko sunbathing in a ray of light. "We are."

They have to wait for another bus to EPCOT, missing the latest one as they walked across the parking lot outside of the building. Castle finds the ice machine in the corner of the bus stop and gets a handful of chips. Al takes one, sucking on it as she swings her legs under the bench. Kate's distracted, typing out a list of possible restaurants to make reservations at on her phone.

Until Castle slips one of the ice chips down her back. He catches the phone as she screams, squirming away from him. "Rick!"

Al laughs, getting off the bench and out of range of her mother's reach. "Cold, Mom?"

"I'm gonna…"

The bus pulls up, the side marquee telling them that it is headed to the correct park, and Castle scoops Al up and runs to the door. "She's going to kill us both in our sleep, kid."

"You're dead, Richard Ca-"

He turns, placing a finger over her lips. "Ah-ah, Kate. Careful. Don't need to be swamped with fangirls like yourself."

Castle makes the decision to sit in the back of the bus with Al, safely away from Kate's glares and pinching fingers. She sees her husband duck his head down, whispering into Al's ear. A second later, the two are waving at her. Kate waves back, narrowing her eyes as she points toward the pair.

Her list is relatively short for restaurants. Chef Mickey's is at the top, but she also has 1900 Park Fare and Tony's on the list as well. Maybe they have time for all three, she thinks, tapping her finger against the side of the phone. Al would love all of them. That is, if she still wants to bring her family out to eat. She shivers again, the water from the ice chip chillier with the air conditioning on the bus.

"Kate, you'll need to talk to us again soon," Castle calls from the back of the bus.

She turns, her thighs sticking to the seat. "And why is that?"

He's holding up the park tickets, flapping them in the air. "I've got your way into the park."

Al, the traitor, is sitting next to the man, grinning and sticking her tongue out.

"True," she muses. "I could just go back to the room and eat all of the desserts and leave none for you."

Their faces fall together, mouths dropping open. Kate holds back the bubble of laughter, raising her brows instead as they start to babble apologies.

"Please, Kate," whines Castle, sitting as far forward on the seat as possible without falling off. "You know I didn't mean it. It was a joke!"

"Sticking ice down my back was a joke?" she asks.

As the bus stops at a red light, he gets up from the backseats, using the handrails to make his way to her side. Kate shifts down the row of seats until she reaches the end, crossing her arms. She can feel him at her back, his fingers touching her waist lightly.

"Not forgiving you," Kate mutters, elbowing him in the chest.

"Please?" His lips press against her neck, skimming up to her ear. "For the children."

"What?" She spins in the seat, blinking at him.

He's clueless, hand drifting to her knee. "For the good of children across the world, Kate. Don't be negative in the happiest place on Earth. And for Al," he says, pointing over her shoulder at the girl, still at the back of the bus, smiling.

She swallows past the lump in her throat because he can't know. She doesn't know yet so it's impossible for him to even think. "You're bribing yourself back into my good graces by using the youth of the world?"

"Uh… yes?"

"Low blow."

"Come on, Mom! Be nice to Rick!" yells Al.

Kate sighs and tips forward, holding onto the handrail between her and Castle. She kisses his cheek. "You owe me."

They stay in their seats, eyes on Al to make sure she behaves in the back as she chatters with an elderly couple sitting a few rows in front of her. Kate leans back against his chest, letting him wrap his arms around her waist. The line of ice water warms from the press of his body, erasing her annoyance.

Al gathers them when the bus stops outside of the park entrance. "Come on. Wanna see stuff."

Kate steers them around the iconic sphere, holding one of Al's hands with Castle on her other side. "We'll come back later in the week and see Future World."

"Good," says Castle, eyes wide as he takes in the building of Innovations. "Cause this is way too cool to pass up."

"Yes, but I want to go to The Seas first." Kate gives Al's hand a squeeze. "You remember Nemo and Marlin and Dory, right?"

"P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way!" Al skips a few steps.

"Want to go visit them?"

Al stares at Kate, walking backwards. "Yes! Cause fish are friends…"

"Not food," finishes Castle with a grin.

Outside of the pavilion, there're seagulls resting on a rock, repeating a chorus of "Mine! Mine! Mine!" that has Al giggling and joining in. She tugs her hand from Kate's, boosting up onto the rock wall, flipflops dangling off her feet.

"Who's that?" Castle asks, pointing at the backsplash behind the entrance of the building.

Al turns, pushing away from the rock and crashing into his leg. "Mr. Ray, silly. He's the teacher of Nemo's school."

It's Al who leads the way into the building, one of the adult's hands in either of hers. The Seas pavilion looks like a high-tech ocean engineering area, awash in blue and green and purple light.

"Can we go see Crush?" Al asks, pulling them toward the line for the little theatre.

Castle glances at Kate before following the girl. "Sure, dude."

The line is long, winding around a pillar, but time passes quickly as the three toss lines from the movie back and forth. Kate checks her phone, nibbling her lower lip.

"What's wrong?" Castle questions, looking over her shoulder at the time.

"Might have to scoot out after Turtle Talk. The ride to Magic Kingdom will take maybe half an hour and we want to eat before Wishes."

"Whatever. We've got time to explore tomorrow."

They make in with the next group and Kate slides her phone back into the pocket of her jean shorts after silencing it. Her stomach rolls a little as they sit on one of the benches, Al squished between them, a bundle of excitement as she watches schools of fish swim by on the screen in the front of the theatre. She presses her hand to her midsection, trying to calm the flips. Not the same as it was this morning where she felt nauseous. This time, it's just annoying and weird feeling.

"You okay, Mom?" Al asks, resting her hand over Kate's, tracing between her fingers.

Kate kisses the top of Al's head. "I'm fine. Look," she says, pointing to the screen. "It's Squirt." She meets Castle's eyes in the darkness, sees the concern coloring the blue. "I'm good, Rick," she whispers. "Really."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>Kate gives in and lets the pretzels and popcorn they buy at a little cart count as dinner. Only because the two next to her won't stop whining and shooting her pitiful glances that she's sure they've practiced in the mirror.<p>

She breaks off a piece of her pretzel and eats it, tasting the salt crystals on her tongue. Castle is next to her, having Al toss popcorn into his mouth. She's missing, the kernels hitting Kate on the shoulder. Seagulls are eyeing them, some landing a few feet away and hopping toward the curb they've claimed for the parade and fireworks. They're on the edge of the little roundabout just behind the train station, facing Cinderella's Castle and watching the façade of the castle switch colors every few seconds.

"Mom! Catch!"

Kate turns in time to get a piece of popcorn bounced off her cheek. It skitters across the red concrete and a pair of seagulls immediately fight over the little piece.

"She's not very good at this game, is she, kid?" Castle stage-whispers to Al, turning to wink at Kate, catching her frown.

Al shakes her head, climbing up onto Castle's lap to look over his shoulder. "Supposed to catch it in your mouth, silly!" She takes another handful of popcorn and eats a piece.

Kate grins, leaning around Castle's arm to snag a few kernels. "Like this?" She tosses one of the pieces up into the air and positions her head under the arch of the popcorn so that it falls right into her mouth. When she opens her eyes, both her husband and daughter are studying her with slack-jawed expressions.

"Mom," Castle sighs in amazement, blinking and shaking his head slowly.

"What?" Kate asks, sitting so that her shoulder leans against Castle's back. "You think you're the only one with some hidden talents?" She bites into the pretzel again, stretching her feet out in front of her. The back of her legs are tight from walking and she flexes her toes up, stretching the muscles lightly. "Time, Rick?"

She has to elbow him since he's still staring at her before he hastily checks his watch. "Quarter to nine."

"Fifteen minutes then."

"Fifteen minutes to what?" shouts Al.

Kate reaches around Castle's shoulders and tickles Al's neck. "You'll see, kid."

"But I wanna know!"

Castle grabs Al's waist, stopping her from climbing over his shoulder to get Kate. "Patience, grasshopper."

"Not a grasshopper," mumbles Al, flopping her arms over Castle's shoulders and sighing dramatically.

"Then what are you?" asks Kate, ripping off a piece of pretzel and holding it out to her daughter. "A butterfly? Kitten?"

Al takes the pretzel piece and gnaws on it, sitting on Castle's lap and looking thoughtfully at one of the cast members holding a bunch of balloons. "Uh. A girl. Duh, Mom." She turns her head up to Castle, shaking it slightly. "She's so weird."

"The weirdest." He leans over and gives Kate a sloppy, wet kiss against her lips. "I love you."

"Even if I'm the weirdest ever?"

Castle finds her hand, resting his fingers in the grooves hers leave. "Especially if."

A man's voice interrupts, letting the people already gathered along the parade route that there is only a short while left before the streets will be filled with light. A few of the glow carts are making the rounds of the crowds, selling lightsabers and glow-in-the-dark necklaces and oversized glasses. Fiber optic wands glisten in the dim shade.

"Like Star Wars, Rick!" Al says, pointing out the lightsabers. "Like Ben and Luke and…" She starts humming the Imperial March, stomping her flipflops on the concrete in time to the tune.

Castle raises a hand as if signaling for a taxi, hailing one of the cast members over to them to pay for one of the toys. "Go for it, kid. Pick one."

Al pushes up off his lap, running around the cart for one of the lightsabers. She waves it, hitting Kate's shoulder with the tip of the toy. "Gotcha, Mom!"

She rolls her eyes, plucking the lightsaber off her shoulder and holding it still so that the girl can't swing it around. "Be careful of the people around you, Al. Don't hit strangers."

"I know." Still, Al grins and hits Castle on the arm. "You're dead now, Rick," she says matter-of-factly, hands on her hips as she stares down the man. When he only glances at Kate, Al touches the lightsaber to his side again. "Die. You're supposed to die."

"O, I am slain," he says, clapping a hand over the spot where she hit him. He slumps against Kate's side, winking at her as he groans one last time and goes still.

Kate blinks at Al who looks shocked. "Well now you've done it. Killed him and got him quoting Shakespeare," Kate murmurs, brushing a hand over Castle's hair. "Who's next on your killing spree, kid?"

"No!" Al drops the lightsaber and pushes Castle. "Wake up! Don't die, Rick!" When he doesn't open his eyes, the girl fixes Kate with a firm stare. "You need to kiss him."

"Oh no, Al. He's gone. Nothing can save him now." His eyelashes flutter as she runs a thumb over his brow and Kate can feel him trying to hold back laughter. Must have some of Martha's acting ability the way his face stays slack and seemingly lifeless.

"Kiss him, Mom! True love's kiss will save anyone!"

Kate tips her head, looking at Castle's face. "Would it make you feel better if I just kissed him and proved he's dead?" Al nods emphatically, scooping the lightsaber from the ground and hugging it against her chest. "Fine then." Angling her head, Kate brushes her lips over Castle's, feels him smile under her. But he doesn't move. "See? Dead."

"No!" Al shouts, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "Wake up!"

His hands dart out, grabbing Al around the waist and tugging her up against him. "Ah!" he groans, blowing a raspberry one her neck. "You've awoken me from my long sleep, Princess Alexandra!"

The music for the parade begins in the speaker hidden behind them and Kate slaps a hand over Castle's mouth. "Shush. Parade's about to start."

For the next half hour, butterflies and Alice and bulbous fish and Peter Pan ride past them on illuminated floats. Princesses dance with their men in dresses that sparkle in the darkness. One of the dwarves skips over to them and waves at Al. She waves back and the dwarf runs off to the other side of the street.

Then the characters disappear and the crowd starts to shuffle, those families leaving that aren't staying for the fireworks show afterwards. Castle sits again on the edge of the curb, letting Kate nestle against his side as a light breeze chills her skin.

"We leaving?" asks Al, sleepiness leaking into her voice even as she forces her eyes open.

"Not quite. Gotta see the fireworks," Kate says, leaning over to push Al's hair back behind her ears as she kicks her legs out. "Remember?"

"Fireworks!" It perks her back up enough to spend the thirty minutes between the parade and Wishes attacking Kate's toes through the openings of her flipflops. But Kate can tell the girl is ready to crash from the way her head lolls on Castle's chest and her fingers loosen around the handle of the lightsaber.

This time, it's Jiminy Cricket's voice that counts them down to ten o'clock when Wishes starts. When they have five minutes left, the trio gets back up to see over the heads of the people in front of them.

The Blue Fairy begins the story, telling the tale of how when stars are born, they have the power to make wishes come true. And as that first firework shimmers over Cinderella's Castle and Kate sees Al's face light up from her perch on Castle's shoulders, she feels Castle's fingers tightening around hers, pulling her against his side. She goes willingly, resting her head on his shoulder, her free hand holding onto Al's ankle.

The castle changes color with the songs, a medley of tunes from movies with the heroes and heroines wishing for freedom or love or hope. Then, when the front of the castle turns into the Sorcerer's hat, sliver moon and stars painted over the stone, Al hums along to the song, cutting off when Maleficent interrupts with crackling fireworks that sizzle in the air, turning the sky a sickly green.

"Mom, catch the bad woman," she whispers, leaning down to Kate's ear.

"Oh, I think the Blue Fairy's got our backs," Kate returns, nodding toward the castle, now bright blue and sparkling. The fireworks are back to iridescent gold glitter, waterfalling down the midnight black of the sky.

The finale, full of explosions of light and color, makes Al jump, her mouth falling open as she stares.

"So pretty," Al sighs, resting her arms on Castle's head. "Fireworks are pretty."

Castle transfers her to the ground, making sure she has a firm grip of the lightsaber in one hand before nudging her toward the exit with the rest of the crowd. "Come on, Padawan. Back to the room with us." As they move toward the train station, cast members on the balcony, waving down at them with Mickey Mouse gloves on, he ducks his head toward Kate. "Did you make a wish?"

"You bet," she hums back, dancing up on her tip toes to kiss his jaw.

"Do I get to know?"

She hipchecks him, free hand catching the back of Al's shirt as they exit the park and head toward the buses. "Don't you know? Speaking a wish negates the whole thing. This gets to be a secret."

* * *

><p>Castle yawns, wiping a hand over his face as he closes the door to Al's room. The girl was out on the bus ride back to the resort, the lightsaber still clutched in her hands even as the rest of her body went limp. Kate took the toy, collapsing it in on itself as Castle carried the girl into the bedroom.<p>

"Kate?" he calls, closing their door until there was only a crack left open in case Al needs something. "Ready for…"

"Battle?" she asks, stepping out of the bathroom, the lightsaber sending the pale glow of yellow and blue and purple onto her face. She circles around him, free hand trailing over his chest, nails scratching the fabric lightly. "Cause I am."

"Oh, that is so not fair," he groans, hands reaching for her bare thighs, exposed after the button-down she snagged from the bureau ends. "Playing dirty."

Kate's at his back, tapping the lightsaber against his shins as she wraps her arm around his waist. Her mouth is at his ear, trailing a hot path down his neck. "Mhm. So? Ready to take me on the field of glory?"

He spins, faster than she can anticipate, and backs her up against the bed. "Thought you didn't like the lightsaber?" he murmurs against her cheek, the slight stubble scraping her skin lightly.

"Who doesn't like lightsabers, Rick?" she returns, swinging the toy up to hit him on the back.

"I don't. Not when you're using it against me."

Kate sits on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs and revealing more skin. "Would you like it better if I were wearing a gold bikini?" she taunts, touching the point of the lightsaber against his nose. Her hair, loose and warm over the white of the shirt, slides across her back as she tilts her head. "Or maybe," she starts, closing up the lightsaber and flicking the light off, "if I weren't wearing anything at all…"

"I don't know what is hotter," he manages, leaning his hands on either side of her hips and nudging her down onto her back. "You talking about Star Wars or you in that shirt."

"Mmm," she hums against his lips. "How about both?"

"Both is good," Castle sighs. "Both is definitely good."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>She wakes up feeling strange. Nothing is really out of the usual, but she feels weird.<p>

He has his arm around her shoulders, fingers curled around the collar of the dress shirt she's slipped back into. Her head is cushioned on his bicep, legs tangled with his under the sheet. They've got another thirty minutes on the alarm before they need to get up, get breakfast, and jump on a bus for the Studios.

But something is off.

Her nose crinkles as she feels her stomach do a flip and she buries her face into his shoulder. Okay, so maybe a pretzel and popcorn was not the best dinner but she's had worse after long hours at the precinct. An unhealthy meal shouldn't be doing this to her.

"You okay?" Castle mumbles, half-asleep. His hand skims along her arm, tugging her closer to him.

She pushes away from him, shaking her head. "No." Kate gets tangled in the sheets as she tries to get out of the bed, swinging around the dividing wall into the bathroom. The tile is hard under her knees as she rests her head on the seat of the toilet. Not sick but feeling so close to it.

He's behind her; she can sense him standing in the doorway. "Kate…"

"Maybe a little more than a twenty-four hour stomach bug," she mutters, not moving her head.

Then he's sitting at her side, pulling her against him. She goes willingly, letting her nose burrow into his collar, using the smell that is purely him to try to wash away the nausea. She's breathing deeply, trying to settle her stomach even as it cartwheels. He presses his lips to her forehead and she knows he's testing her temperature. She feels sweaty, clammy.

"Let's stay here today. Go bike riding or lay by the pool again or…"

She cuts him off by lifting her head up, looking into his eyes. "Wanna go to the park today. Follow the plan."

"If you're sick, we're not leaving the room, Kate," he says firmly, gathering her hair at the nape of her neck so he can study the planes of her face. "We're going to get you some medicine and let you sit on the balcony. Get some fresh air."

Since meeting his gaze didn't work, Kate places her hand over his mouth. "Rick." She can feel his lips moving still against her palm, slowing as she just sits, watches. "I don't think medicine will help much."

And then she waits, eyes searching his desperately for understanding.

She sees the moment it hits him. It spreads over his face and even then, she feels her heart and stomach clench in fear. Because what if…

"Are you…?" he starts, choking on the words, forehead hitting hers gently, noses brushing. "Are we…?"

"I don't know." Before he can respond, she begins again. "But this was what I was like with Al in the beginning, but I don't know."

"But you could be?"

"Maybe," she sighs, letting her head fall back onto his shoulder. "Can we still go to the Studios?"

"Kate, I –"

She slaps his hand away, weaker than usual, and uses the edge of the toilet to get up. "I might be pregnant, Rick. I'm not dying."

Al is already awake, sitting on the end of her bed with Penguin clutched against her chest, watching some over-excited blonde run around the parks, counting down the top ten things to do at Disney. They're at a water park, running through a wave pool, and Al looks more confused than excited by the prospect.

"Mom, why play in a pool with waves when you can just go to the beach?" she asks as Kate steps into the room, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe. "It's weird."

"Because some people can't go to the beach whenever they want so they need to see what waves are like." Al still shakes her head, frowning at the blonde chick as she jumps to one side of the screen and appears on a safari. "You ready for breakfast, kid?"

The girl nearly falls off the bed as she scrambles toward the door. "Yes! Breakfast!" she shouts, running into the kitchen, Penguin hitting Kate's leg as she goes. "Can I have PopTarts?"

Castle intercepts her in the hallway, snagging her wrist, tugging her back against his chest. His lips are bruising as he backs her against the wall. She wants to inch her hands up to his shoulders but he's not letting her. He steals the startled gasp from her mouth, grinning against her as he sets his forehead to hers.

"What was that?" she hisses, eyes flicking toward the kitchenette where Al can be heard pulling down boxes to find the PopTarts.

"I'm gonna love you both no matter if you're pregnant or not," he whispers against her cheek. "Because I love you."

She twists her hands in his, digging her short nails into his wrist before he lets go. "You had to push me against the wall to say that you love me?" Kate tiptoes, touching her lips to his jaw. "Such a strange sense of romance, Rick."

"Guys," calls Al and Kate can hear her bare feet on the tile, padding toward them. Kate steps back from Castle, just far enough so as not to scar the girl too much, and rubs the back of her hand over her lips, trying to erase the taste of him. "Where are the PopTarts?"

"Over the sink." Kate tapped Al's nose, moving into the kitchen. "I know you and your tendency to sneak out and steal them."

Castle is starting up the coffee machine, taking down two mugs and a short glass for Al's orange juice. Except Kate reaches around him and replaces one of the mugs with another glass with a whispered "Just in case" as she goes for the fridge to pour out the juice. The thought of another year without caffeine nearly brings on a headache.

Don't think about it, she tells herself, sipping the juice from her cup, and taking one of the PopTart packages out for Al. They bought doughnuts and Kate opens the box, taking a crumb-topped one from the row. Castle picks out a chocolate one and bites into it as he follows Kate to the table. Kate sits next to him, propping her feet up on his chair as she eats the doughnut, catching the crumbs in her hand.

"Are we gonna be in the movies?" Al asks, breaking off a piece of the strawberry PopTart and chewing it.

"Not exactly," Castle says, letting a hand fall to Kate's ankle, massaging the joint, his thumb sweeping over the top of her foot. "But there is some talk of Mom being in a movie."

"What?" Kate exclaims, nearly spitting orange juice across Castle's face. "I'm not going to be in a movie!"

"Well, not you, exactly," he clarifies, finishing off the doughnut. "Gina said some production company was eyeing _Heat Wave_ for a feature film. So, Detective," he says, leaning one elbow on the table as his hand travels from her ankle up to the ticklish back of her knee, "how do you feel about being immortalized on the silver screen?"

"Mom, you're gonna be a star!" Al says, throwing her hands up in the air, sprinkling crumbs across the three of them.

Kate shakes her head. "No, I'm not, kid. Nikki is. You remember Nikki, right?"

"But, you're Nikki," Al insists, looking at Castle for back-up. "Rick says so."

That earns him a glare. "I'm not Nikki, Al. Nikki's like…"

"Her alter-ego," tosses in Castle. "Because does Nikki have an Al?"

"No." Al wraps both hands around the glass of juice and drinks some. "She doesn't."

"So Nikki isn't Mom," Castle concludes with a sip of coffee. His fingers wiggle against Kate's knee and she has to bite back a strangled giggle around her mouthful of doughnut.

"You done with breakfast, Al?" Kate asks, giving Castle's thigh a little kick in retaliation for the tickling. When Al nods, Kate jerks her head toward the bedroom. "Go get dressed so we can get on the road."

As soon as Al tosses her trash into the bin under the sink and dashes down the hall, Kate slides forward on the chair until she's nearly on his lap. One hand braces the table as she leans toward him, brushing her lips over his. "_Heat Wave_ as a movie?"

"Maybe. Gina, Paula, and the production group out in L.A. are still talking. It's exciting, right?" he asks, a hand curling around her back and tugging her closer. "Because I'll only agree to it if you want."

"Might be fun. Keep me in the loop?"

"Of course, Nikki," Castle says, hand twisting into her hair so she won't pull away as he kisses her hotly. "Whatever you want, Detective Heat."

* * *

><p>"It's Hollywood Studios," he corrects for the millionth time as they stop by the Coca-Cola truck inside the entrance.<p>

She nudges him with her shoulder, throwing off the camera angle that he's been trying to get on Al, balanced on the side of the truck. "When I was here, it was the MGM Studios. That's how it's going to stay with me." She jerks forward when Al looks like she's about to topple from the truck but the girl catches herself. "Take the picture before she falls, Rick."

"Can we do Star Wars first?" Al asks, bouncing over to their side once Castle finishes snapping photos. "I wanna see C3PO and R2!"

They start toward the left after the short walk up toward the huge sorcerer's hat. "Later," whispers Kate into his ear as he eyes the hat, the photo op waiting for them.

"Avoidance," he returns, hipchecking her as they watch Al carefully, running ahead toward Gertie the dinosaur.

"Hey. I made a promise. One family photo per park. Let the girl go see the droids first."

"Or," Castle says, eyes lighting up as he scoops Al up to turn back to Kate, "we could go see Indy!"

She narrows her eyes at the two then at the Indiana Jones stunt show to their left. Castle has some weird obsession with the treasure hunter; his first guess at crime scenes as to what could be behind a door or in a box is constantly the Arc of the Covenant and he insists that, according to the law of averages, eventually they'll find the Arc and become famous.

"Jot down the times and we'll see if we line up with any of them," she sighs. "But Star Tours is our first stop."

There's a full sized AT-AT outside the entrance to the ride, the line wrapping around the huge legs and feet of the Imperial walker. Castle has his phone out, the camera taking quick snaps of Al as she skips ahead, eyes wide at the sight of the vehicles they had only seen on the sheet-screen Castle used for the projector in the loft. Even Kate has to admit that it's sort of cool, reading some of the little-known facts from the movies that are placed along the pathway to the building. But it's cooler to see her husband geek out next to her, grinning at the tidbits of knowledge and letting her know when he already knew about a fact.

She shushes him once they're in their vehicle, Al sitting between them, feet wiggling against the seat as C3PO up front tells them about their mission to Kashyyyk to help the Wookies.

Once they're out of the gift shop where Kate refused to let Al get another lightsaber, they go left, making a loop around the park so they end back at the exit. With Al between them, one hand in either of theirs so she can swing from them every few steps, they end up back home.

The Empire State Building is visible next to the Chrysler Building. Apartment buildings are squeezed next to townhouses. A local movie theatre advertises its showings. There's a sign warning pedestrians that there are NYPD cameras nearby. Street signs are familiar and Kate can almost place herself mentally in the city, smiling as she glances at beaten-up trashcans and bikes chained to light posts.

"Home?" Al asks, looking confused, glancing back toward the AT-AT as if to prove to herself that, no, they're still at Disney.

Castle barks out a laugh, trying to disguise it as a cough and failing. "No, kid. Not quite home."

But the street is so very lifelike, as if Disney took a street from their city and dropped it into Orlando. Down another street, the Golden Gate Bridge is visible up a hill that exemplifies San Francisco. People are going up to doors, pulling on handles as if they'll open to the foyer of an apartment or waiting in line for movie theatre tickets.

"So cool," he mutters. Kate watches as he spins around, trying to take in every detail of the street. "This is so double rainbow, Mom."

"Double rainbow?" She arches a brow as they start up the street. "You're quoting that weird guy from YouTube?"

Al tugs on Kate's hand and starts singing some put-to-music version of the video.

"And you showed it to our kid," Kate adds, shaking her head. "Is this what you two do when I'm working and you're home?"

"Uh, yes?" he ventures with a shrug. "She likes them."

The wait for the next stop, Toy Story Midway Mania, is ridiculous and Kate honestly doesn't see Al being patient while waiting in line for almost two hours. Especially it being so close to lunch.

"Let's get FastPasses and come back after we eat," Castle suggests, edging them toward the kiosks for the passes.

It's a good idea and Al's already getting a little grouchy as she pushes ahead of Kate to get to the machine first, shoving her park pass into the right slot. Castle takes back both the pass and the little slip of paper telling them to come back in three hours.

So they skirted past the sorcerer's hat again toward Sunset Boulevard. There's a grouping of food places to their left and Kate finds a free table, leaving Castle and Al to go order lunch. Kate takes her phone from the pocket of her shorts, pulling up a map of the park on the screen to plan the route. They could eat, double back and see the Little Mermaid show before turning in their FastPasses for Toy Story Midway Mania. Then back to this area to see the Beauty and the Beast show before perhaps seeing if the Indiana Jones one has any more showtimes. That'd make everyone happy.

Her husband and daughter return, he carrying a tray of food and drinks while Al holds onto a hot dog like it's going to grow legs and run away.

"Got food, Mom," Al says, plopping onto one of the benches.

Castle slides a hamburger over to Kate with a bottle of water. Her head is starting to throb a little from the lack of caffeine but she cracks open the water and hopes the liquid will hold back the pain. She can see him eyeing her but she ignores it, spreading ketchup over the bottom of the bun before replacing it on the burger.

"You make a plan, Mom?" Castle asks, dragging a French fry through a pool of ketchup. "Queen of Plans."

She rolls her eyes as she takes a bite of the burger. "I did."

"Can we see Ariel and Flounder?" Al is inhaling the hot dog, ketchup smeared over her cheeks.

"Right after we eat, kid. Then we'll go to the Toy Story ride."

"Cause we have passes," the girl states.

They eat slowly and Kate's about to kick Castle's shins under the table if he shoots her another concerned look as she picks at fries. She's fine. Her stomach has settled though she won't be getting on the Tower of Terror any time soon. So he's just annoying her, not comforting her with his not-so-subtle glances.

With a quick check of the time by pulling Castle's arm over to see his watch, Kate shrugs. "Let's get ice cream on the walk over to Little Mermaid."

With soft serve cones, they make their way back up Sunset Boulevard. Kate stops once, swinging from a light post, grabbing hold of Don Lockwood's umbrella. She knows Castle got a picture because instead of holding his chocolate ice cream, he's got his phone. The cone is upside down on the sidewalk.

"Hope the loss of your ice cream was worth that," she says cheekily. "Because I'm not sharing mine."

"We'll see," he counters, taking hold of her wrist and aiming what's left of her cone toward his mouth. He misses, hitting his cheek and ending up with swirled vanilla and chocolate across his jaw and nose and even a little up near the corner of his eye.

"Rick, you look funny!" Al chortles, pointing at his face with a giggle.

Kate switches hands, snagging his phone from him, and clicking a photo. "Blackmail."

The show is just starting when they reach the Voyage of the Little Mermaid and after tossing napkins into the trash, they sneak in before the doors close. Al spends the entire fifteen minute show singing along and mouthing words and gasping when bubbles float from the ceiling along with spritzing water.

"Flounder!" Al hisses in a whisper, hitting Castle in the knee in her excitement. "It's Flounder!"

"Shush, kid," he returns, tapping her nose.

Once the show is over, they're the last out of the auditorium because Castle is trying to explain to Al that she can't go see Ariel and Eric.

"But why?" asks Al as Castle nudges her toward the exit behind Kate.

"They're off on their honeymoon," clarifies Castle. "Just like Mom and me right now."

With another few hours before their time on Toy Story, Castle ducks down to murmur into Kate's ear, "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?"

"Fine," Kate sighs, heading toward the stage for the Indiana Jones show. "Let's let Rick get his adventure kick in."

Another chance where luck is in their favor. The show is just about to start, people filling in the seats in the auditorium-style seating. And this time, it's Castle who can't shut up during the show. He's grinning and squeezing Kate's hand the entire time, jumping when things catch fire or people leap from windows onto awnings.

"This is so cool," he gasps as Indiana Jones shoots at the bad guys in a Jeep.

She claps a hand over his mouth, smiling. "Double rainbow cool?"

His lips purse in a soft kiss to her palm. "Most definitely."

And then it's over and his watch says that they might as well head over toward Pixar Place. As they pass the sorcerer's hat, Castle grabs Kate's elbow. "Picture," he says, winking at her. She rolls her eyes even though she knows he loves it when she does that. So it's no surprise to her when he continues the movement until she's against his chest to lower his mouth to hers. "One picture per park, Kate. That was the rule."

"Fine, fine. Al, come here. Rick wants a picture."

So they gather in front of the hat, Al sandwiched between them. Castle had handed over the PhotoPass from the Magic Kingdom, letting the photographer put this new photo on the same card. Kate can feel Castle's hand on her lower back drifting down during the photo until it pinches at her butt. She tries to swat at his hand, face lighting up as he continues to coast his hand over the top of her thighs.

"Behave," she shushes, grabbing his fingers and tightening her grip. "Or this will be the last photo on this trip."

Once Castle has the PhotoPass back in his wallet, they walk back toward the ride. The line was longer – the wait-time is edging toward three hours now – but once they show their FastPasses to the cast member at the separate entrance, they're able to bypass the winding line and get to the ride in five minutes instead of one hundred and eighty.

It's a ride with two on either side of a car and Kate takes the hit, sitting on the opposite side of Al and Castle.

"Still gonna kick your butts," she calls, sliding the 3D glasses onto her nose.

"No, you aren't!" shouts Al and Kate grins at the stranger sitting next to her. The girl is on her phone, texting instead of preparing for the ride and Kate gets the sense that she doesn't really want to be here.

"Must have forgotten that I'm a trained cop," Kate counters, swinging the plastic gun in front of her, getting a sense of the range.

"Cops use fake guns often?" asks Castle as the ride starts up.

Kate sighs then focuses as they round a corner to a wall of water balloons pinned to a corkboard. No problem. Shouldn't be, she thinks. Trained cop. But she misses most of the balloons and even though her family on the other side of the car can't see, she's a little ashamed that none of that big-talk held up.

And she spends the rest of the ride trying her upmost to get a higher point tally than her six year old. The girl next to her spends the ride fervently texting, gun untouched.

"Mom, I got a lot of points!" Al exclaims once the lapbar is lifted up and she's off the car. "Bet I beat you."

"Bet you didn't," Kate says, nodding toward the exit.

"Prove it. What'd you get?" Castle taunts, twisting his fingers with hers and tossing her a devastatingly arrogant glance.

Kate nibbles her lip, pulling her phone out. "Uh, we should have time to get over to the other stage to see the Beauty and the Beast show."

"That's what I thought," mutters Castle. "We totally beat her, Al. Five!"

The two slap palms.

Did she really want to do this again? Have another kid he can turn against her on rides at Disney World? Another brown haired, blue eyed child to worry about for every second they're apart knowing that she might not make it back to that kid?

As Al holds onto three of Rick's fingers, chattering about their game strategy, Kate knows the answer in her heart is most certainly yes.

"You okay, Mom?" Castle asks as Kate nearly walks into trashcan.

She smiles, nodding as she rests her head on his shoulder. "Absolutely fine. Time to see Belle."

"Belle!" Al shouts. "I love Belle."

People are waiting outside the theatre, sitting on the stone wall or window shopping at the corner store. Castle finds a spot near the sign for the times and leans against it, scooping Al up onto his hip to make room for other people. They're talking about their favorite parts of the movie when a cast member taps Castle on his shoulder.

"Excuse me but are you waiting for the show?" the young woman asks.

"We're gonna see Belle," says Al.

"Well, princess," the cast member says with a secretive smile, "how would you like to meet Belle and the Beast?"

Her joy from the Little Mermaid ride doesn't hold a flame to this expression. Mouth open, eyes wide, hands gone slack from around Castle's neck. She's glancing from Castle to Kate to the cast member to random people around them then back. "Really?" she says.

The cast member nods. "Definitely. They love meeting other princesses. You get to go up once the show is over and they'll talk to you for a little while. Sound good, princess?"

"Oh yes," Al says, hiding her face in Castle's neck. "Oh yes."

"There's a special seat a few rows from the front. Just ask one of the ushers where to sit," says the young woman before disappearing.

"Can I take pictures of this?" Castle questions, shifting on his feet as another cast member opens the walkway to the theatre.

Kate nods, running a hand over Al's hair. "Definitely. This is pretty sweet."

Their seats are in the second row and Al wiggles on the bench as she watches the abbreviated version of the movie, complete with dances and the magical transformation of the Beast into a human. Once the cast takes their bows, the same young cast member from outside the theatre waves Al over from the edge of the stage. Kate is half on top of Castle as she leans around the people in the front row to see Al up on her tiptoes, talking animatedly to Belle and the prince. He has his phone out, thumb hitting the shudder button as rapidly as possible.

Then the prince pulls out a rose and hands it down to Al, taking Al's hand to kiss the knuckles before waving goodbye. Kate's surprised the girl is still upright as she spins around to find them in the audience. Al nearly trips on the stairs, clutching the fabric rose to her chest.

"I met Belle and Beast," she says, so quietly that Kate can barely hear her. "Best day ever."

Castle has to carry her again as she stumbles on the walk back toward the buses. The smile hasn't left any of their faces as they get on the right bus back to the resort. Al is curled up in his lap, Kate slumped against his side, fingers tracing a pattern across his knee.

"Still want to try and find a place to buy a test?" he murmurs into her hair, a free hand wrapping around her shoulders.

Kate hums. "We'll need to take the car unless the General Store has one. You bring her back to the room. I'll get off at the store to check, meet you back at the room."

"Good idea, Queen of Plans."

So they do just that. Kate stays on the bus after Castle gets off at their bus stop. And she can't help but remember how different this was last time. Begging Lanie to run a test and panicking and no, this is so much better. If it's anything, she reminds herself. Might just be nothing. False alarm.

The woman in the General Store finds two tests for Kate after Kate finds little gummies shaped like Mickey's head that Al will like. She walks back to the room, the humidity from the day coating her skin. A boat is on the river to her left, headed to Downtown Disney. Another place she needs to remember to bring them.

Castle is in the hallway when she opens the door. "So?" he asks, eyes flicking to the bag then back up to her.

"Got Al some candy," she says, pulling out the gummies.

"She's on the couch, watching Disney Channel. Kate."

She smiles softly, holding up the bag. "And a few other things." She presses a kiss to his cheek. "Go sit with our daughter. And be patient, 'kay?"

"I can promise to try. No guarantees," he says, tilting her head back toward him to capture her lips. "I love you so much, Kate."

"I know." Kate shoves him back toward the living room. "Go. Back in a few minutes."

And she is. Empty-handed and heading straight to the kitchen to take down a box of Cheez-Its. She curls her feet under her as she sits in the chair even as Castle stares at her.

"So?"

"Go see," Kate says quietly, munching on the orange squares.

Al's napping on his lap, rose still in her hands, and he has to maneuver so that she doesn't wake up as he runs for the master bathroom. Kate leans over the arm of the chair to brush Al's hair back from her face where it's stuck in her mouth. She's listening for a response from her husband, watching their daughter sleep. Kim Possible is saving the world on the TV when Castle rounds the corner into the living room.

"Kate," he breathes. He hits the coffee table with his shin and he goes down on his knees in front of her. And God, his hand his trembling as it touches her cheek and she can't not drop the Cheez-Its onto the side table to put her hand over his. Her thumb brushes under his eyes and the skin is already wet and she just has to lean forward to rest her forehead against his. His voice breaks in his throat as he whispers. "Oh, Kate…"

One of her tears falls onto his thigh as she tips her head up to kiss him gently until he pulls her off the chair and into his arms, crushing her to him.

"Oh, Kate…"


	9. Chapter 9

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p><em>This one is for Pau, Jenn, and Em - the best partners in crime I could ask for.<em>

* * *

><p>"Dinner," she sniffles into his neck. "We need to get dinner."<p>

"Kate, just…" He pulls her back against him. Can't seem to stop touching her, running his fingers up and down her spine. Keeping her here with him. "Just stay for another minute. Please."

So she stays, letting him bury his nose into her hair. She loops an arm around his to wipe at tears.

"Mom? Rick?" Al's voice is sleepy as she talks, pushing up on the couch so she's sitting against the back. "Why're you crying?"

And that just brings on another wave of emotions that has Kate clutching at Castle's shoulderblades. "We're okay, kid."

"Crying isn't okay," she says, sliding off the couch and crawling over to the continuous hug huddle on the ground. Al pushes herself in between the two, her head smushed against Castle's chest. "Here." And, awkwardly, Al tries to wrap her arms around both of them while stuck between their bodies. "Don't cry."

Castle finds his voice first, untwisting his arm so he can smooth a hand over Al's head. "Good tears, Al. Good tears this time."

"Mom?"

Kate nods, shifting to press a kiss to Al's temple. "We're so much more than fine, kid. Let's see if Chef Mickey's has any open reservations. Go out to eat." When Castle doesn't move, she gives his shoulder a little push. "Give 'em a call and see if they can fit us in. It's late to make reservations but they might have had someone drop out."

She waits until he gets up, moving toward the kitchen to find the number for the restaurant on his phone. Kate stretches her legs out, resting her back against the armchair until Al's in her lap.

"You okay?" Al asks, touching Kate's still-wet cheek with the hand not holding onto the fabric rose.

"Yeah." Kate tugs on one of Al's curls. "Listen, Allie-bug. What do you think of a little brother or sister?"

"To, like, babysit?"

Kate laughs, the question breaking whatever tension was strung out in the air. "Not quite," she says. "Like, as a sibling. You'd be the big sister."

"So I'd be in charge?"

Not wanting to dash all of the girl's dreams because honestly, she'd probably take charge anyway, Kate shrugs. "Sure. Let's go with that. But would you be okay with it? It'd be a big responsibility."

Al slides off Kate's lap onto the ground, pushing up with the help of the chair. "I'd like a sister please. Named Minnie." And with that, Al runs off toward her room leaving Kate blinking after her daughter.

Castle is still on the phone, negotiating with the person at Chef Mickey's for an open reservation. Kate would not be surprised if he was trying to name drop as subtly as possible to pull them a table. He smiles at her as she closes up the box of Cheez-Its, putting it on the kitchen island.

"She good?" he mouths, catching her hand as she scoots past him.

Kate nods, spinning to press her lips to his cheek. "Bedroom," she says softly.

"Change for dinner," he calls, a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. "I'm charming Paula here."

"Oh good."

She ducks into Al's room. The girl is standing on the bed, the lightsaber in her hands. Penguin is on a pile of pillows, watching.

"Showdown?" questions Kate, leaning on the doorframe. The girl seems to be taking the news rather well. Still, Kate's waiting for the breakdown on both of their parts.

Al whirls around, nearly unbalances on the mattress but catches herself, and points the lightsaber at her mother. "Do not enter on pain of death," she says in a deep tone. Only her grin gives away her amusement.

So Kate plays along, holding her hands up defensively. "Don't hurt me, Jedi. I come in peace."

"Prove it," Al says, stepping closer to the edge of the bed.

"Uh," Kate stalls.

"Nothing, mortal?" She jumps off the bed and walks toward Kate. "Then you must die."

Just before she can swing the lightsaber at her mother, Castle appears behind Kate, scooping her up off her feet. "Sorry, kid, but I'm rescuing this particular maiden."

"It's not over!" declares Al, running back to the bed and sitting on the side.

"Hey, get dressed for dinner. Gonna go see a few special friends," Castle says, his fingers tickling along Kate's sides even as he hugs her back closer to his chest. "But we," he murmurs into her neck as he starts down the hall, "are gonna get you undressed."

In between gasping laughter that she just can't hold back, Kate tries to grab at his fingers. "Stop!" She attempts to hook a foot around his calf to topple him. "Rick!" she squeaks as he tosses her onto the bed. He's pressing his lips up her bare legs, the contact sizzling electricity through her body as he makes his way up and over the curve of her knee. And she knows that they need to be getting changed, that Al is right down the hall and is very wide awake, and that the *maybe* five minutes they have right now is no amount of time to do anything remotely close to celebrating.

Before all words can fail her – and they will because he's reaching the hem of her shorts, Kate grips his hair and pulls his head up off her thigh. "Rick. After dinner. I'm hungry." The stern tone she was hoping for is gone, replaced by a breathy sigh as his fingers work on the button of the shorts. So she hits him on the head, scooting back on the bed until she's across from him. "Seriously. You don't stop, I'm going to withhold any type of celebratory sex until way after this baby is born."

And then it hits her.

She's pregnant. She's pregnant with Richard Castle's baby. And he's her husband. And they're pregnant and…

Now she's the one who can't keep her hands off him. She lunges back across the bed, hooking her legs around his waist as he falls onto his butt with a "oof."

"Kate," he manages even as her lips trail across his jaw to his neck. "Dinner."

"We're on the ground," she says, smiling into his cheek. "I love you."

"Two obvious statements." His kiss is soft this time, his fingers threading through her ponytail. "And I love you too, but the only spot I could get at the restaurant is in half an hour so we really need to get changed."

They help each other up off the floor. Since he already unbuttoned her shorts, Kate sheds them and the t-shirt, tossing both onto the little bench in the room. As she shimmies into a thin-strapped sundress, pale blue, fitted until her waist where it flares out into a full skirt to her knees, Castle changes into a pair of dark jeans, rolling the sleeves of a navy dress shirt up to his elbows over the grey tee. She's fussing with her hair in the floor-length mirror in the bedroom when he comes up behind her and stills her hands.

"You look fine."

Kate bats away his hands, scowling at his reflection. "I look like I nearly got jumped by my husband before I almost returned the favor." Giving up and leaving the brown waves against her bare shoulders, she turns to find her shoes. "Let's go eat," she says, tiptoeing in her ballet flats. "You can jump me later."

"We'll jump each other," he corrects, touching her side as they walk out to get Al. "You get the girl, I'll get the keys."

Al still has the lightsaber, but she changed into leggings and her blue tutu that had somehow been snuck into the suitcase. The coral shirt she had worn out to the park was still on, clashing with the neon blue tulle but she doesn't seem to care. "Ready to go, Mom!" she says, tossing the lightsaber onto the bed with Penguin. "I won't fight you for now."

"Glad to hear we can have a dinner truce," Kate says.

Castle drives them to the Contemporary Resort. The guard waves them through once they let him know that they're here for dinner and finds a place to park. "Perfect timing," he says, glancing at the clock on the dashboard which shows they have another five minutes to get up to the restaurant.

The lobby of the hotel is polished marble and clean, modern lines. Nothing like the warm, cozy feel of Old Key West and Kate is once again thankful her parents went for homey rather than updated. Still, it's impressive. They pass the check-in desk, the little sitting area where a family guards their suitcases, and step onto the escalators up to the right level.

The top is open, creating a cavern inside the triangle structure. There's a gift store, entrance shaped like the head of the iconic mouse. Kate steers them around the shop toward one end of the building. Chef Mickey's takes up half of the place, situated just under the monorail tracks that zip the cars through the building and off toward the Magic Kingdom.

"Can we take that?" Al shouts, pointing at the monorail waiting at the station as people board. "I wanna ride the train!"

"Definitely later," says Kate, grabbing the girl's arm as she runs toward the stairs to get to the platform. "Aren't you hungry?"

Her stomach growls and Al suddenly changes paths for the entrance of the restaurant. "Food first. Train later."

The hostess, her name tag saying it is the same Paula that Castle had been negotiating with earlier, is juggling two phones, reservation buzzers, and a dry-erase marker for the table arrangements. But she still smiles brightly as Al leads the way over to the podium. "Welcome to Chef Mickey's." Paula turns her eyes up from Al to Kate and Castle. "You have a reservation?"

Castle gives their name and is handed one of the buzzers.

"We'll give you a buzz when we've got an open table," she says with a smile.

They find a spot on a round bench, Al squished between them. Kate is distracting herself, twisting the tulle of the girl's tutu around her fingers, watching the glitter sparkle against her skin. Castle is stroking her shoulder, rubbing little circles over the nape of her neck and back. He hasn't stopped touching her since they got in the car. The entire ride was him holding onto her hand or brushing her thigh through the fabric of her sundress or skimming along the small of her back on the walk through the lobby.

"You gonna be like this for the next nine months?" she asks quietly.

"Maybe. Probably." He turns his head to see hers behind Al. "Yes. Yes, I am." When Kate rolls her eyes, he pinches her skin lightly. "It's my first kid. Of course I'm going to hover. Consider this fair warning, Kate Beckett."

"Hey! I'm your kid," Al protests, climbing into Castle's lap and looping her arms around his neck, hanging onto him. "Right, Rick? I'm your kid."

He drops a kiss onto Al's cheek, tugging the girl so she's sitting in his lap rather than hanging off his neck. "You're right. You are most certainly mine. But this baby will be mine and Mom's while you are just Mom's."

"Oh. So Minnie will be, like, half mine?" Al asks, patting Kate's stomach.

Castle's eyes turn to Kate, brows raised. "Minnie?"

Kate grins, turning the buzzer over in her hands. "I'll explain later. And yes, kid," she says to her daughter. "Minnie would be half yours."

Al's face bursts out in a smile. "I like that. Can I hold the thingy?"

Kate hands over the buzzer, scooting closer to Castle so the people next to them have more room. His arm wraps around her back, coasting up her bicep. She lets her head tip onto his shoulder, turning to press a kiss to the joint through his shirt. Her right leg hooks around his ankle, linking them together.

"It's buzzing!" Al holds the buzzer out, narrowly avoiding Kate's nose as she waves it. "Our turn!"

Castle shifts Al up onto his hip, blowing a raspberry on her neck. "You bet. Give the buzzer to the hostess."

Paula grins as Al holds out the buzzer. "Thanks, princess. You're going to follow Jenn; she'll be your waitress tonight."

Jenn waves from a little ways behind the hostess station. Once the trio gets to her side, she nods back toward the seating area. "Welcome to Chef Mickey's. First time here?" she asks as they walk back around a table of desserts and up a short flight of stairs.

"Yeah," answers Castle.

"Not mine," counters Kate with a little smile. "I've been before."

They're seated at a table and Jenn takes drink orders. "It's buffet style, so you can get started whenever you're ready. The characters will be making the rounds so make sure you have your cameras ready. Let me know if you need anything else."

Kate splits off from Castle and Al, piling lettuce into a bowl for a salad. She eyes the rest of the food, mapping out a path for the rest of the meal as she pours some dressing over the mix of greens and carrots and a sprinkling of cheese in her bowl. When she sits back down at the table, Jenn had delivered their drinks.

And Al and Castle are carrying plates loaded with desserts.

"What's that?" she asks, pausing with her fork halfway to stabbing lettuce.

"Life is short, Mom," Castle says, cutting into a brownie with bright sprinkles, "so you should eat dessert first. Al and I are just partaking in that particular adage."

Al has a cupcake, a pile of gummy worms drowning in what looks to be chocolate pudding and crushed Oreos. "Dessert first!" she declares, digging a spoon into the gummy-worm-and-dirt mess.

Kate kicks Castle under the table, relishing the little grunt he exhales on and how he drops the bit of brownie to his plate in surprise. "You are a bad influence, Rick."

"Mm, but you love me," he shoots back, reclaiming the brownie and eating it.

"I retract any earlier statements regarding that emotion toward you." She's ignoring his gaze but can feel his smile aimed straight at her. "In fact, I think we need a divorce."

He sputters and Kate barely holds back laughter as she presses her lips together. "Don't play dirty," he pleads, dropping the fork onto the table. "Not funny."

"Kinda funny," she says, eating a bite of her salad. "Listen," Kate starts, leaning closer to him, elbow on the table for balance, "I'm not letting you go. You're mine."

"I see we've uncovered possessive Kate." His fingers are under the table, glancing over her knee and watching her shiver. "Glad to know you're not gonna run off with my girl."

"Here, Mom," interrupts Al, holding out a gummy worm over Kate's salad bowl.

Kate catches the worm before it hits her food. "Kid, it doesn't belong in my salad," she says, dropping the red and yellow striped thing back into the mud pit on Al's plate.

Al frowns, pushing the worm back around in the chocolate pudding. "But worms like green stuff. And you have green stuff."

"Yes, but are those real worms?"

"Uh, no," says Al, looking over at Castle. He's hiding a smirk behind his hand, trying to watch without being obvious.

"So they wouldn't like this real lettuce and carrots, would they?"

"Do you always have to be right?" the girl asks, biting the head off the worm.

Kate taps Al's nose with the tip of her fork. "It's my job to be right all the time."

Al eats the rest of the worm, narrowing her eyes at her mother. "Minnie and I will just have to stick together against you."

"Okay, what is with Minnie?" Castle asks, finishing off his brownie.

"Minnie is Mom's baby," Al says simply. "Can we go get dinner now?"

"Nope. Gotta say hi to Pluto first."

The dog is wearing an apron and chef's hat, bounding over from one of the neighboring tables to theirs. His tongue, lolling from his mouth, nearly swipes Al's cheek as he comes to a stop behind the girl.

"Hey, Pluto!" greets Castle, grabbing for his phone to take pictures.

For the rest of dinner, the two of them trade off the phone, snapping photos of every character that comes around to their table. Mickey and Minnie stop by and Al insists on take a picture of both Kate and Castle with the famous couple. The shot is blurry and a little of Castle's head is cut off but Al looks so pleased with herself that he doesn't say anything. Instead, Castle grabs one of the cast members that are passing by and has them take a picture of the three of them with Mickey and Minnie.

When they step back out into the parking lot, Kate shivers. It's gotten cold during the hour they spent inside and the sleeveless dress is definitely not holding up against the chilly breeze of the Florida evening.

"Here."

Before she can stop him, Castle is shrugging out of the navy shirt and draping it over her shoulders. It holds some of his heat still. "Now you're gonna be cold," she protests even as she slips her arms into the sleeves.

"Got you to warm me up later," he whispers into her ear as he unlocks the car, helping Al into the backseat.

The drive back is narrated by a sleepy Al in the back, babbling about food and making Kate promise yet again that they'll take the monorail somewhere. She makes it up the stairs to the room before she ends up tripping over her sandals.

"Careful there, kid," Castle says, scooping Al up along with her shoes. "Let's get you into bed."

Kate watches as he helps Al change into her pajamas after brushing her teeth, tucking her into the freshly-made bed, and flicking the lights off in the room. She toys with the buttons on the dress shirt as he closes the door a crack.

"You're so good with us," she sighs as he wraps his arms around her.

"You're tired," he returns, bending his knees to pick her up against his chest, her toes touching the top of his shoes. "I can tell because you're starting to get way more sentimental."

Instead of protesting the statement, Kate buries her head into his neck, dropping kisses along the exposed skin. "You're gonna be such a good dad, Rick. You're so good with Al."

He sits her on the edge of the bed, slowly undressing her. With a little push so she flops onto her back, he touches his lips to the area right below her belly button. It's a more intimate gesture than any of the numerous kisses or breathless nights they've had.

Kate reaches down and threads her fingers through his hair, thumb brushing over his forehead, giving him a gentle tug so he travels up to her face, his body pushing her body into the mattress with his. Her lips feather up against his, eyes fluttering closed. "I'm so glad it's you this time."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>Kate is the first one up this morning. An oddity since she relishes sleeping in past the alarm. But this morning she has coffee going for her husband, juice poured out for their daughter and herself, and cinnamon rolls from one of those handy tubes that make it impossible for her to screw up baking in the oven. She's humming, running her finger over the rim of her glass as she slips out onto the balcony.<p>

She leans on the rail. It's humid already and she can practically feel her hair frizzling in the loose, messy braid she twisted it into after getting up. The weatherman on the TV said it was going to get hot today and she can already feel the temperature rising with the sun.

And it's quiet. More than anything, it's quiet.

She tips her head so it rests on the vertical pole, the cool metal just as soothing as the chill of the orange juice. No morning sickness today which is the smallest of blessings; with Al, it lasted nearly the entire way through the first trimester. Her bare toes curl against the tile on the floor as she takes her phone from her pocket and speed dials.

"Did I wake you?" she asks, pushing at a leaf with her foot.

Her dad sounds sleepy but he still says "Of course not, Katie. Didn't think I'd be hearing from you for the week."

"Yeah, well, something's come up."

"You killed that husband of yours and need help hiding the body?" he teases.

Kate smiles, watching a golfer hit a ball down the green. It's a good shot, the ball bouncing onto the fairway and narrowly avoiding the water on the left. "Not quite, but I'm glad you're around to help if such an occasion arises. Hey, Dad?" She waits for his hum in response. "What would you say to another grandkid?"

"I'd say I'm far too young to have two of them," her dad returns. "But from your tone, I'd say it's a little too late to be protesting."

"Kinda, yeah."

"At Disney, kid?" He's laughing. She can hear it through the receiver as she sits in one of the plastic chairs and rests her feet on another. "Really?"

"Well, not *at* Disney. Just finding out here."

"You tell Rick and Allie yet?"

"She wants to name the baby Minnie, Dad."

The door creaks behind her as the wind blows at it, the blinds clicking against the glass. Her father is still laughing but she can hear the sound of the coffee machine in the background, the pop of the toaster oven as it delivers breakfast.

"Not such a bad name."

"Not for my kid," she says, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Maybe a cat but not a child."

A hand touches her shoulder and she turns her head. His thumb brushes her jaw as he circles around to stand against the railing. He has a mug of coffee and God, it smells so good. To stave off the urge to grab his cup and steal a sip – just a sip – she drinks some of her orange juice.

"Well you have about eight months to figure out the right one. Gotta go, kid. Toast is getting cold." She can hear him scraping a knife over the burnt section of the toast – she told him to get a new oven years ago. "Give my love to Rick and Allie."

"Will do. Love ya," Kate says before hanging up.

"You're up early," he comments, pushing off the railing to brace his free arm on her chair, kissing her softly. "Morning, you."

She groans, shoving him on the shoulder so she can get up. "No more kisses after coffee, Rick."

"We'll get you some decaf," Castle suggests, following her into the kitchen just in time for the buzzer to go off on the oven.

"So not the same," she complains as she takes the tray from the oven and sets it on the stovetop. "It's the real stuff or nothing." With a smile, she drops a kiss on his cheek. "Plate these. I'll go get Al."

The girl is sleeping still, the sheets tangled around her legs. Her hair is still in the ponytail from last night, the elastic slipping down so that it's barely holding the strands together. Some have escaped, curling wilding around her face. Kate reaches out, sweeping some of the curls off Al's face.

"Hey, kid," she says, kneeling next to the bed to give Al's shoulder a squeeze. "Time to get up."

"Don't wanna," sighs Al, rolling over and pulling at the pillows. "Wanna sleep."

Kate scoots into bed with Al, tugging the girl up against her chest. She attacks Al's sides with her fingers, holding onto Al even as she squirms away from the tickling. "Wake up, Al. Gonna go to EPCOT today."

"Mom!" she shouts, pushing at Kate's hands, twisting so that they face one another. "Stop!"

"You going to get up?" asks Kate, pausing the torture for a moment to meet Al's eyes.

Al studies Kate's face, blue eyes searching as Kate raises a brow. Then she rolls away and off the bed, running toward the door. "Beat you!"

"Got you out of bed, didn't I?" she murmurs, righting the sheets and finding the pillow that fell off during the tickle fight.

When she heads back out to the living room, Castle is sitting at the table with Al who is recounting her victory over Kate. Kate refills her glass of juice and sits across from them, cutting into one of the cinnamon rolls.

"See you've arisen from the dead," Castle says, pushing his toes against her calf. "Al said she had taken you down."

"Yes, well, I'll live to fight another day." Kate hooks her foot around Castle's, grinning when he jumps. "EPCOT all day, you two. Eat up."

"The one with the golf ball?"

"That one," Kate tells Al around a bite of cinnamon roll. "But we'll go some place other than visiting Nemo and Dory."

"Mine! Mine! Mine!" crows Al.

"Already went there, kid. Let's try some place new," suggests Castle, stealing a sip of Kate's orange juice and earning himself a glare. "Are we going to try to hit up World Showcase?"

"That's the plan," she says, gathering up her plate and fork to put in the sink. "We've got ten minutes before we're on the road."

"Mom?" Kate turns and sees Al waving a piece of cinnamon roll at her from the end of her fork. "Can you braid my hair like a princess?"

"Plain princess or Princess Leia?"

"Leia!"

Kate nods. "Get dressed and we'll see what we can do, Princess Al."

She finds those jean shorts that are just a tad too short for decency in one of the drawers and tosses them onto the bed. She's searching for a shirt, one that will keep her cool during the day but not let her get too cold after the sun sets, when his hands sneak around her waist. They tug up her tanktop, settling warm lines over her skin as he pulls her back against him.

"Who was on the phone this morning?" he asks, lips traveling along the curve of her neck.

"My dad. Told him the news." Kate lets her head fall against his chest, her own fingers wrapping around the fabric of his t-shirt.

"And?"

She smiles as Castle touches his mouth to the spot below her ear. "He's happy, of course. Said he was too young to have two grandkids."

Castle snorts out a laugh, spinning her around to press her into the chest of drawers. "I'm too young to have two kids." When she raises a brow, he only smiles. "Al is as much mine as this one will be," he says, a thumb brushing over her stomach. "Maybe not biologically, but she's mine."

For that, she boosts up and smudges her lips over his. "You're a good man, Richard Castle."

"You gonna reward me with those shorts?" he asks cheekily, hooking the pair on his finger and waving them. "Because that would be lovely."

She slaps him across the shoulder as she returns to the drawers to find a shirt. "Go get dressed."

Kate trades off the pajama shorts for the jean ones and pulls on a worn emerald green v-neck, flipping her hair out of the neckline. They pass in the bathroom and he steals another kiss, one that tastes like mint and the hint of cinnamon from breakfast. There's a whispered comment about the shorts – Kate is regretting the choice of clothing – as he scoots past her with a pinch on her butt.

"Do that again, Rick, and I'll take you down," she warns as she brushes her teeth.

"All talk, no action," he calls back.

She ducks her head around the corner in time to see him take his shirt off. "Wanna bet?" she asks around the toothbrush, eyes heating a little as he makes a show of pulling on a clean shirt.

Knowing she'd go through with the threat, he shakes his head.

"Smart man."

Kate's done first. She brushes out her hair from the tangle of the braid, scraping it back into a ponytail before finding her pair of deep purple Converse, and lacing them up before heading to Al's room to do her daughter's hair. Al is dressed, khaki capris and that NYPD shirt that Castle bought her a while back, but her hair is loose around her shoulders. Castle would say the two Beckett women look alike and right now, she would be inclined to agree.

"Time for hair and makeup," she says, twirling her finger to get Al to spin around.

It takes some maneuvering since Al still wants to watch the episode of Say Yes to the Dress playing on the television, but Kate sits behind her, one leg up on the bed, and starts finger-combing Al's hair. "Still Princess Leia?"

"Yes," Al says, eyes focused on the new bride's plight of finding the right dress.

Braiding her hair is a challenge with the layers and curls but Kate manages two braids on either side of Al's head. She finds the hair elastics on the bedside table, snaps them onto her wrist before attempting to twist the braids into tight buns on the girl's head, right behind her ears.

"Done," Kate says, patting Al on the head. "Now get your shoes on so we can get to the bus."

This time at the bus stop, Kate is careful to keep an eye on her family members and to keep her back against the wall. Castle is sitting on a bench, Al sprawled out at his side, and his fingers keep touching her bare thigh just to watch her body move toward his without her permission. Each time, Kate swats at his hand and two seconds later, it's back.

A bus for Animal Kingdom and one of the water parks stops first, followed by one for Magic Kingdom before EPCOT shows up. And it's packed. Castle takes hold of one of the rails with one hand, the other holding onto Al's hand as she finds a railing of her own to grab. Kate's down near the back of the bus, leaning against one of the seatbacks, smiling at him through the bodies as she checks her phone.

Of course there's a rush to get off the bus once it pulls up to the stop and Castle scoops Al up to wait for Kate to make her way from the back to them. As soon as she reaches their side, though, he puts the girl back on her feet so she can walk between them. The line up to the entrance is long, but Castle takes the time to find the park passes in his wallet and hand them out. Al's still jealous that his has Minnie Mouse on it while she's stuck with Goofy.

"It's because they know your real personality and that's what they put on the front," Castle explains with a wink toward Kate.

Al frowns. "I'm not Goofy. You are."

Kate laughs. She tries to hide it behind her hand but she knows he can still see the turn of her lips around her fingers. "Point for Al," she says, sliding her pass into the machine and pressing her fingers to the scanner.

"So I guess you aren't the family pet?" he asks, helping Al get her ticket back as he takes Kate's Pluto pass and tucks it into one of the pockets of his wallet.

She narrows her eyes at him, pinching his side. "That's you again. Sleeping in the doghouse tonight, Writer Boy."

The fountain behind Spaceship Earth is just beginning a show, music piping in through the speakers set around the area. Kate makes them stop along the fence to watch as the spouts of water, colored from lights in the pool around the jets, spray into the air. The wind carries droplets to land on audience members and families walking past without giving the fountain a second glance.

But this is cool and Kate can see that Al and Castle are entranced by the way the water jets line up with the music, creating a unique show. No people involved. Just water and lights and music.

She finds Castle's hand and links their fingers, giving him a squeeze before leaning against his arm, head settling on the joint of his shoulder.

The show's over in a couple of minutes, the water resuming a straight-up shot rather than the music-coordinated dance from before.

"Come on," she says, lifting her head and rolling it to work out the kink in the back. "There's a Coca-Cola place over here that you'll love."

Except when she goes to touch Al's shoulder, she swipes through air. Thinking maybe the girl shifted away during the show to get a better view, Kate glances around, ducking her head to see past Castle.

"Where's Al?" she asks, hearing the frantic tone starting to slip into her voice.

"Huh?"

She waves his hand off, untangling their fingers as she starts to run along the edge of the fence, eyes scanning the crowd. "Rick, where's Al?" Kate swivels halfway around the fountain, her hands curling around his arms. "Rick. Where is she?" she manages on the tail end of a sob.

Because the girl in the NYPD shirt and Princess Leia buns is nowhere to be seen.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>The water show is cool. Except she can't see from here and if she could just move a little to the side she might be able to see more of it.<p>

She glances back at Mom and Rick. They're watching the fountains and holding hands and she doesn't want to interrupt. So she just scoots along the fence, fingers tripping over the rails as she walks, trying to find a better view of the show. There are these annoying bushes and she's just not tall enough to see over them.

Right here. There's a break in the bushes and she can finally see the jets of colored water. She pushes up on her tiptoes, watching the end of the show. The water splashes back into the pool, the music transitions to a different song, and Al turns around to find Mom and Rick.

There's a person who looks like Mom walking off toward the space place. Mars, maybe. Or Jupiter because that one's red too. But Mom wouldn't just walk off, not without Rick and her.

She starts running toward the woman because maybe Rick had to go to the bathroom and Mom was following him.

Except when she gets to the person in the same green shirt as Mom, it's not Mom. Mom's hair is in a ponytail and is a pretty brown color. This person has dark blonde hair around her shoulders. The shadows made it look darker, like Mom's, but they were wearing green and…

She turns around, looking through the people for her real Mom, for Rick.

Someone bumps past her, running toward a store and she stumbles a little right into another person.

"Hey, princess."

She looks up and sees the little pin nametag. A worker. "Hi," she says softly, eyes already looking around again for Mom and Rick.

The man – his nametag says he's Sam – crouches down so they're on the same level, his hands on his knees. "You looking for someone?"

"Mom," she says, starting to sniffle because Mom's gonna be so angry since she wandered off and she knows Mom goes through worst case scenarios when things like this happen. "Looking for Mom and Rick."

"Okay. Let's go over here and we'll see if we can find them," Sam says gently, reaching out for one of her hands.

He leads her back toward the big space golf ball to an information booth. He talks to another worker who smiles and waves at her even as she tries to hold back tears. Because Mom's not here and Rick's not here and they're gonna be so so so angry.

The worker woman comes around the little booth and kneels next to Al. "Hey, sweetie. My name's Emily. Sam says you're looking for your parents. Is that right?"

She nods, swallowing the tears. "Mom and Rick."

"And what do Mom and Rick look like? We're gonna send out a search party."

It takes a few minutes for her to describe Mom and Rick but Emily is patient and smiling and eventually Sam picks up one of those walkie-talkies that Mom sometimes uses and starts repeating the information.

"So, hopefully one of our other cast members," Emily is explaining, "will find your Mom and Rick and bring them here. You okay for right now, princess?"

She manages a little nod.

Emily stays next to her the entire time, pointing out cool things about stuff around them and giggling with her about the strange clothes people are wearing. Emily's nice and is good at distracting her, letting her hand out stickers to people that stop by for help finding different attractions.

"Al!"

Her head snaps up from the coloring page she and Emily are doing together when she hears Mom. Rick's at her side, sprinting past Mom to the table. And it's Rick that picks her up from the chair, the crayon she was using clattering to the ground as he pulls her against him.

"I take it this is Mom and Rick," says Emily, standing up and finding the crayon, putting it back on the table.

But she's too busy being squeezed against Rick's chest with Mom hugging around the both of them to tell Emily that, yes, this is Mom and Rick and everything is okay again.

"Mom, I'm sorry," she sniffles against Rick's neck, her fingers playing with Rick's soft hair. "I'm sorry, Rick. I'm so sorry."

Mom is kissing her hair and squeezing her sides and Rick is holding her tight and it feels good. She feels safe again.

"Don't be angry," she whispers, her voice scratchy and rough. "Ple-Please don't be angry. I thought it was you, Mom, but it-it wasn't and I was scared and…"

"Shh…" murmurs Mom against her hair. "Just glad you're okay, kid."

Rick presses a kiss to her forehead. "Scared us, Al."

Rick is thanking Emily and Sam, shaking their hands. But she doesn't see much of it because she's hiding her face in his shirt and shoulder and feeling Mom still touching her head.

And slowly, her heart stops racing and she stops shaking a little and she hugs Rick back. So so tight.

* * *

><p>He never, ever, ever wants to feel that way again. So he squeezes the girl harder to make sure she's still here, safe and with them, as he looks at Kate over Al's shoulder. Her eyes are shiny, tears barely being held back by will.<p>

"Still want to try World Showcase?" he asks, starting back toward the fountain, staying closer to the gift shops around it than the fence.

She nods, fingers still touching Al's back. Like she needs to prove to herself as well that their daughter isn't lost anymore. "Might as well. We're here."

"Could go back to the resort and sit by the pool. Might be less stressful," he suggests, tugging on Kate's elbow to spin her around to face him. She doesn't look convinced, eyes darting between husband, daughter, and the entrance to World Showcase beyond them. "Mom." He waits until those still-shimmering hazel eyes land on his. "Let's go back to the pool." There's a "please" that hangs in the air until she picks it up.

"Okay. You cool with that, kid?" she asks, rubbing a finger over Al's cheek. "Going back to swim for a little while?"

Al shrugs, burrowing back into Castle's body. "M'kay."

It's not a wasted day, he tells himself, shifting Al in his arms – the girl hasn't made a move to get down and walk on her own and he doesn't blame her – so that he can link his fingers with Kate. He needs the connection, to know his entire family is here.

They're moving against the flow of traffic, more people heading into the park than out.

And then, on the walk toward the busses, he pauses. "Hey, Al?"

"Hm?" she hums, turning her head to blink up at him.

"Wanna ride the monorail?"

Al perks up. "The train from last night?"

"Yeah." He's checking with Kate, who nods with a smile that's far away from where they are. "Come on."

They change paths, walking up the ramp to the station for the monorail. It's not crowded and they wander through the lines for the monorail. Kate leans against his side, squishing Al between them.

"Here's a game, kid," she says, just loud enough for both of them to hear. "Try to guess the next colored monorail that pulls in."

It's enough to distract them, watching the horizon for one of the monorails. He sneaks his hand down to touch Kate's waist, right above the waistband of her shorts. Her body tilts further against his and she lets her head fall onto his shoulder, right next to Al's.

"Alright. Guesses," Kate says as one of the trains appears. "I say purple."

Of course she would. "Dibs on silver. You, Al?"

"Teal!"

When it pulls into the station, they're all wrong. The stripe along the side is lime green.

"No winner this time," Kate sighs, waiting for the doors to open, letting the people get off before Castle tugs them toward the nearest car.

They sit along one of the benches and Castle finds himself in the corner, Al kneeling in his lap to see out the window, with Kate pressed against him. They have the car to themselves so he stretches his feet out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles.

This rail only goes to EPCOT from the Ticket and Transportation Center. They transfer to the other rail, playing the same guessing game that Al wins this time with her choice of red.

And when they get into the car, Castle is shushed by Kate so they can hear the announcer.

"Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas."

He gets a kick out of Kate whispering the words into his ear. "You know," he returns, a hand over Al's stomach to keep her from sliding off his lap and onto the ground as she watches the Polynesian Resort come up on the rail. "It is so hot when you speak Spanish, Mom."

She shoves him, hiding her face against his shoulderblade, pushed between him and the seatback. "Don't *say* things like that out in public, Rick," she admonishes, muffled from the fabric of his shirt.

"Why, Kate Beckett. Willing to break a few laws here?"

Her face is a pale red – he knows she'll just say it's sunburn – when she rights herself, pushing at her hair, now a mess from worrying at it when Al went missing and nuzzling against his shoulder on the monorail. "No." There's a pause, then her nose is a hard point against his upper arm. "Maybe." Then she shakes her head fiercely, ponytail hitting him in the back. "No. Not with Al here."

It's so not her, the "maybe" a pleasant surprise. One he files away in his brain for a day where opportunities present themselves.

They ride through the Polynesian, the Grand Floridian with its sharp red roofs and the pretty wedding pavilion. Then they're back at the Contemporary and Al makes a point of waving to the people waiting for tables at Chef Mickey's. A few wave back, making the girl's smile even brighter.

His chest loosens each time she grins. God, if being a parent is like this except all the time, he's gonna need to take some serious lessons from Kate about not tying their kids to a chair in the living room to make sure they're safe all day, every day.

Kate pulls them off at Magic Kingdom to take the bus back to the resort. Al is back to babbling, squirming out of his arms to walk between them. He notices that she has a hand from either of the adults clasped in her little ones.

Al talks about what she wants to do with Minnie when she's born. How she's going to teach her how to sneak out of bed to watch TV after Mom tucks her in – that earns the girl a glare. And how to do princess hair and watch all of her favorite movies and paint toenails with Lanie. Trips to their coffee shop after school and tricking Minnie into doing the dishes.

Suddenly, he can't wait to get back to the room. Because he's watching Kate's face glow with each word and her hand has been inching toward her abdomen. And he just wants her alone for thirty minutes.

So when they get off the bus at their stop, he can't help it if his hand is tight around hers or that he walks just a tad faster than usual. He can tell Kate notices since she sends him a half-lidded glance as he fumbles with his wallet, finding the key card for the room.

"Hey, kid? Go get into your swim suit and wait in the living room," he says, toeing off his sneakers in the hall. Kate's already walking down the hallway to their room and damn her, she's swinging her hips just for his benefit.

Al trots off into her room, the door closing with a click. It's the signal he needs as he dashes off toward his wife who is throwing heated looks back at him. He hooks her around the waist, pulling her back to him.

"We've got maybe fifteen minutes before she gets bored out with the TV and wants to swim," she gasps as he nips at her neck. In one quick move, he's the one up against the little wall dividing the bedroom from the bathroom with Kate pressed up against him. "Make 'em count, Rick."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>They don't go to the main pool. Instead, they find the quieter, more secluded Turtle Pond. In fact, it's almost completely theirs – most people taking advantage of the nice day and heading to the parks. Kate claims a section of lounge chairs, tossing a pile of towels on them along with her grey sarong. Al's already in the pool, cannonballing into the deep end with a giggle.<p>

"You going to swim or lay here?"

She curls her toes against the heated cement of the pool deck, regarding him from under her eyelashes as he strips off the t-shirt he threw on for the walk over. "Gonna swim with Al for a while. Gotta cool down after…"

Kate trails off as she starts toward the stairs into the shallow part of the pool. She pushes off from the bottom step, stroking through the water to reach Al. A glance back at their chairs shows that Castle is still staring at her. Take a picture, she thinks. Because in a few months, I'll be bloated and complaining and you'll want to remember exactly what your wife looked like without an extra being hanging onto her stomach.

"Mom," the girl gasps, doggie paddling over to Kate's side and looping her arms around her mother's neck. "Race me across the pool."

She drags Al through the water to the side of the pool, holding onto the edge with one hand. Her feet are planted on the tile under the water line, ready to propel forward. Al looks just as ready, brown hair plastered to her forehead and cheeks. Grinning and wiggling in the water as she prepares.

"Rick, count down!" Al yells at him.

Castle is wading his way over to them, ducking under the water before emerging again, shaking out his hair and sending droplets onto their faces. Al giggles, wiping a wet hand down her face as if it'll get rid of the water. "Ready, Becketts?" he asks, lifting himself up onto the side of the pool to get out of their way. He counts down from three, imitating the starting gun of a horse race.

Kate doesn't hold back for Al, pushing through the water quickly. It's been a while since she did laps in a pool but it comes back easily enough.

Until a hand wraps around her ankle and tugs her backwards in the water. Her head dips into the water and she comes up sputtering, watching Al zip ahead with a peal of laughter. She twists and her foot connects with Castle's chest, sending her back under the waterline. "Rick!" she manages once she gets her head up again. "What're you doing?"

"Catching my wife," he says, dragging her until her back hit his chest. His arms band around her upper arms, trapping her. His lips touch her cheek as his fingers dance over her stomach. "And letting our daughter win the race."

Sure enough, Al touches the other side of the pool with a victory whoop, splashing back into the water. "Beat you, Mom!"

Kate shoves Castle off her, pushing out into the middle of the pool. "Control yourself," she hisses. "It's been less than half an hour."

"Such a long time," he sighs, swimming toward Al. He scoops the girl from the water, lifting her up as she giggles, flailing her arms out. "I'm taking a hostage."

"Mom! Help!" Al says as Castle pulls her down toward the deep end of the pool.

Kate has the chance to take a single step closer to the two of them before Castle tosses Al into the pool with a splash. She comes up, pushing her hair out of her eyes with a grin.

"That was fun!"

So Castle picks the girl up again and tosses her further into the end of the pool. Then he turns to eye Kate. "Your turn."

"Oh, no," Kate says, backing up even as he stalks toward her. "You are not throwing me into the pool." She hits the side of the pool and her gaze turns for ways to escape, holding her hands out to stop him from getting closer. He doesn't pause though, wrapping his fingers around her wrists and placing them against his chest.

"But it's fun," he whines, pulling her closer, hands coasting down under the waterline to her thighs.

"Rick," she draws out, kicking at him though the movement slows in the pool. "As your wife and mother of your unborn child, I forbid you from –"

He lifts her up, hefting her over his shoulder with an arm around her knees to hold her in place. "From what, Kate?"

She doesn't answer, grinning at Al as the girl treads water in the deep end of the pool. Instead, Kate tickles her fingers down Castle's sides until they're under water, slipping between his skin and the fabric of his swim trunks. Immediately, the arm around her legs loosens and Kate drops into the water, swimming away from him.

"That," he says, pushing off the floor of the pool toward her, "was low."

Kate winks as she walks up the steps back toward their chairs. "Love and war, Rick."

They're all tired when Castle decides it's time to head back to the room in order to get ready for dinner. As Kate rubs a towel over her hair back in the bedroom, still in her swimsuit and knowing his eyes are roving across the curve of her spine down over her hips to her legs, squeezing out as much water as possible.

"You gonna tell me what I should wear tonight or is that a secret too?" she asks, tossing the towel at him as she moves to the drawers to find underwear.

He comes up behind her, arms to either side of hers, and digs through her drawer. "Nothing here. Where're your dresses?"

"Closet. Pick something that don't give you the urge to drag me into secluded corners and have your way with me," Kate warns, picking out underwear and heading down the hall to Al's room.

"Leaves few options for me," he shouts. "Everything you wear makes me want to…"

She doesn't hear the end of the sentence as she ducks into Al's room. Al is dressed, sandaled feet swinging against the bed. Penguin is on her lap, her chin propped on the bird's stuffed head. "You ready to go, kid?"

"Where're we eating?" Al asks, tilting her head to the side, ignoring the television for her mother.

"Secret. Rick won't tell."

Al slides off the bed, grabbing her lightsaber. "I'll get him to tell," she says, running toward the bedroom.

"Rick! Incoming!" Kate warns even as Al's battle-cry drowns out any of her words.

Castle throws her a sundress over Al's head as he is beaten back by the girl. "Try that. I'll hold back the Jedi."

Kate tugs the dress on, smoothing it over her hips. Soft seafoam green jersey, a modest scoopneck, slim bright yellow belt. Totally not the choice she thought he'd go for. When she comes back out of the bathroom, the bedroom is empty but the sounds of battle echo from the living room. She pulls on a pair of flats before rounding the corner.

Al runs straight into her, lightsaber clattering to the ground a moment before Rick hits the girls. He turns it into a bear hug, pulling them close against him.

"Such a playboy," Kate grinds out, his fingers digging into his sides.

"Only girls I care about are you two."

"And Minnie," adds Al, picking up the fallen lightsaber and running it into her room. "Don't forget my sister."

Castle grins, linking his fingers with Kate's. "We are so not naming our daughter after a mouse."

* * *

><p>They took a ferry from the boardwalk at the resort to Downtown Disney. The skipper joked the entire ride, asking trivia questions and letting Al drive for a little while. It distracts her for long enough that Castle is able to trail a path of hot, open-mouthed kisses down from Kate's lips to her collarbone. It was only the not-so-subtle cough from the skipper that separated them before Al bounced her way back down the length of the boat to their bench, giving Kate just enough time to steady her breathing and to glare at the man looking pleased next to her.<p>

Castle thanks the skipper before dragging the girls off the boat, one of their hands in either of his. "Come on," he says, impatient as he pulls at their hands. "I've heard great things about this place."

The Earl of Sandwich is busy at dinnertime but Castle squeezes them into line. "They've got great sandwiches. They're all grilled and there's peanut butter and jelly and roast beef sandwiches and they're all so good."

Kate's scanning the menu, shifting forward when Castle pushes lightly on her lower back. "What did you want?"

"Meatball sandwich."

"Go find us a place to sit then." She waves him off, even when he starts to pull out his wallet. "I've got it."

They find him tucked into a corner table and she puts the tray on the table between them. There's three wrapped sandwiches, drinks, and a bag of cookies.

"You've got the top one," Al says, handing him one of the sandwiches.

Kate unwraps hers after stabbing the straw into one of the half-and-half cups.

"What'd you get?" he starts, trailing off when Kate licks a smear of peanut butter and jelly from her thumb. "Juvenile, Mom."

She sucks her thumb into her mouth, a wicked little grin at the corner of her lips. "Juvenile, huh?"

* * *

><p>The bus from Downtown Disney to EPCOT isn't crowded; they're able to get a row of seats together. Al sits on Kate's lap, stopping Castle from taking advantage of Kate's legs pressed against his. The girl is playing with the end of her mother's braid, her head cushioned on Kate's shoulder.<p>

She hasn't really let go of either of them for the entire day.

They're all still a little shaken.

"Going home?" Al asks sleepily, blinking up at Kate through her curls.

"Nope. More fireworks." Castle is thumbing through his phone but he pauses, smiling at Al. "And lasers." He reaches over and smoothes a hand over Al's head, squeezing Kate's shoulder when he touches it. "Then home for bed."

Al snuggles into Kate's arms, sighing. "'Mkay."

They're the last ones off the bus, Kate shifting Al further up on her hip before stepping down behind Castle. He hooks a finger around the yellow belt, keeping both Kate and Al close as he slides all of their tickets through the counter to get into the park. They bypass the fountain and Kate feels Castle's hand tighten around her belt. She manages to hold Al with one arm, touching her fingers to his wrist.

"We're okay. Everyone's here," she whispers as they walk toward World Showcase. Then she moves on, nodding toward the man-made lagoon in front of them. "I've heard Mexico is a good place to watch."

As they walk toward the left, Al wiggles out of Kate's arms. One of her hands clutch to Kate's skirt, the other wrapped around the hem of Castle's shirt. The pull is comforting as Castle steers them toward the edge of the walkway, right against one of the railings over the water. They have a clear view of the water, an unilluminated globe floating on a barge in the middle, brightened only by the flickering flames from the torches placed around the lagoon.

"Too bad," Castle mutters into Kate's ear, ruffling the stray waves of hair curling around her cheek.

"What's too bad?"

His fingers, still around her belt, splay out over her stomach. "This one." When she narrows her eyes, he touches his lips to her cheekbone. "Could have found some tequila, limes, and salt."

"Seriously?" Kate brushes her hands through Al's loose hair, idly braiding little bits of it as the girl watches the fire from the torches. "You want us to, what? Role-play with your characters?"

A voice rings out from the speakers and Al hits her hand against Castle's leg, shushing him from responding to Kate's quip. "Good evening and welcome. We've gathered here tonight, around the fire, as people of all lands have gather for thousands and thousands of years before us, to share the light and to share a story. An amazing story, as old as time itself but still being written. And though each of us has our own individual stories to tell, a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one. I hope you enjoy our story tonight; reflections of earth."

Then, with a huff of breath, every one of the torches surrounding them blew out.

A screech that sounds like a hawk sounds as a single firework blazes across the night sky. Fire blooms on a barge nearby and Kate can feel the heat licking over her skin. Fireworks explode, bursts of color on the black curtain until the chaotic music slows, letting the globe light up, the continents becoming screens with shots of wild horses and the desert and people shopping in the marketplace. It's water fountains, changing from blues to purples to green to orange next before the buildings at each of the countries become outlined in sparkling lights. Lasers shoot across the sky, using the smoke from the fireworks to become visible. Shimmering waves of green light mix with sparkling fireworks. Blues mix with whites as they twirl together into the sky.

When a woman begins singing, some of the people around them move to leave. Kate catches Castle's fingers, holding him in place. "Not over yet," she manages just before the globe in the center cracks open.

The torch inside sends red fireworks into the air, lighting a flame in the middle of the lake. And as the chorus reaches the conclusion of the song, a sustained chord is spattered with bright flashes of fireworks coming from every direction in the lagoon, as if filling the sky with fireflies. Spirals burst at their apex into pink light as the music ends, leaving only the lit torch in the center of the water.

"That was so pretty," Al sighs, leaning her head against Castle's leg. "Can we go home now? I'm sleepy."

It's a rush to get to the exit so Castle scoops Al up into his arms to keep track of her, his fingers tangling with Kate's until they get onto a bus back to Old Key West, also crowded with late night park-goers. Another man gets up, letting Castle sit with a drowsy Al cradled in his lap, Kate standing between his knees and using his shoulders for support on the ride.

Kate unlocks the door to the room with her own key, flicking the light on in the kitchen to flood enough illumination for Castle to navigate his way into Al's room. She hears him whispering to the girl, getting her to change into her pajamas and brush her teeth. But her own eyes are drifting shut even as she stumbles toward the master bedroom, shedding the sundress and throwing it toward the dresser as she collapses onto the bed after pulling on a tanktop. It takes energy – too much energy – to slide her legs under the sheet, pulling the pillow against her cheek as she burrows into the cushions.

She feels him slip his arm over her waist and senses the dip in the mattress as he kneels on the bed. "Hey," she says, snuggling deeper into the covers as he tucks himself along her back.

"Hi, sleepy-head," he whispers as his fingers tease up under her t-shirt to trail the pads of his fingertips around her stomach. "Still flat there."

She laughs, the sound coming off as tired rather than amused as she hoped, resting her hand over his. "Rick, I'm barely a month and a half along. We've got a good four months until I start showing signs of your virility."

Castle presses a kiss to her cheek and Kate can feel his smile. "It is so hot when you talk like that. Especially when you're this exhausted." He dips his forefinger into her belly button and grins when she gasps. "She's still in there."

"She?" Kate asks, turning her head enough to see his eyes, their laughing blue depths watching her. "You think it's a girl like Al does?"

He shrugs, sneaking his fingers under the waistband of her underwear. "Another girl would be nice. Someone would always be around to make me a sandwich."

"God, why did I marry you again?" Kate says as she shoves him on the shoulder.

This time he rolls so she's draped over his chest, his hands holding lightly to her waist as she brushes her hair back behind her ears. "Cause you love me?"

"Mmm, there's that," she hums a moment before she leans forward to kiss him. "Tell you what. If it's a girl, you get to pick the name. If it's a boy, I get to pick. Deal?"

He skims his hand up her side, savoring the shiver that runs through her body, until he can hold it out to her. "Deal."

"Guess this means that I need to start thinking up boy names," she says with a teasing smile as she scoots away from him.

Castle snags her tanktop with frantic fingers. "Wait. Veto rights to the loser."

"Worried that I'll be naming our son something ridiculous like Fabio?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Goes both ways. I don't want a Roxy or Bambi running around our house," Kate says. "Go check on our daughter before we go to sleep. Make sure she brushed her teeth and stuff."

Castle is out of the room, holding onto the doorframe in order to swing himself around into the hallway to Al's room. While he's gone, Kate takes a moment to run her fingers over her midsection. She's right – her stomach is still flat and there's still a while until there's any proof that she's pregnant. But Castle's right, too – baby's there.

"Fast asleep," he says, sliding back into bed with her, pulling the sheets up around them. "Don't think this means that it'll be my job to tuck everyone in every night."

She's sleepy as she cuddles into his side. "You're such a good daddy," she murmurs against the hollow of his throat. "Fabio will be so lucky."

"So not funny."


	13. Chapter 13

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>The sky is grey, foreboding when Kate steps out onto the balcony with her glass of orange juice. It's humid but the air sparks with energy.<p>

"Storm coming," Castle says from behind her, leaning a shoulder on the doorframe.

She grins, stepping around him with a quick kiss to the side of his jaw. "That your next title?"

Al is at the table, breaking apart PopTarts into orderly squares. Sprinkles and bits of the frosting are littering the area around her. She's dressed, feet kicking out the skirt of the seafoam green sundress, hair curling around her face even though Kate pulled the front part back into a half-ponytail.

"Don't play with the food, Al," she warns, moving to the couch rather than the table; she can smell the coffee still sitting in the pot on the counter.

He's good at reading her. Like she was one of his books. He leaves his mug on the table before sitting next to her, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Impossible." When she raises a brow, he leans closer. "Derrick Storm's dead."

"Ah, yes. Bullet to the head." She's still not entirely over the death of the first character of his that she fell in love with. "How about Nikki's next title? Got that one in the works?"

"Playing with a few options right now. _Summer Heat_. _In Heat_." She grabs his ear before he can slap a hand over them and twists it. "Okay, okay! Uncle!"

"Mom, don't hurt Rick!" Al shouts from the table. She's already scrambling down off the chair, a piece of pastry in one hand as she runs toward them. "He's nice."

Castle is grinning as he rubs a hand over the burning ear that Kate releases. "Hear that, Mom? I'm nice. Anyway, that last one was a joke. I have way more respect for you than to go around titling books _In Heat_."

Al squeezes herself between them, stuffing the rest of the PopTart into her mouth, sending crumbs across their laps. "We're gonna see the animals today?"

"As soon as you're done with breakfast, kid." Kate sips at her juice, nudging Al back toward the table and her plate of food.

The girl is up again, using Castle's knee to propel herself back to the table. "I wanna see penguins!"

Kate laces up her Converse, pulling her jeans down over the top as Al puts her plate in the sink. "Well, we'll see if we can hook you and the tuxedo birds up. But," she trails off, checking to make sure she has some cash in her wristlet, "we'll never see them if you don't go put some shoes on." Al runs off to her room.

"Feeling okay this morning?" His fingers, warmed from the mug of coffee, skate over her arm, tugging on the sleeve of her white t-shirt.

She tilts her body into his, letting him wrap her up in a tight hug. Squeezing out the stress. "Stomach's a little flippy but if I stick to basic food, I'll be okay."

"You're tired."

Kate hums against his shoulder, shrugging just a little. "Do you men not understand how much work it is to create another human being?"

His arms band around her back, keeping her close against his chest for a moment. She can feel his nose burying into her hair, loose around her shoulders. "Nope. Not exactly taught the finer points of baby-making at boarding school."

"News flash, then. A lot. It takes a lot of work."

Castle surprises her, kneeling on the carpet in the living room area. His hands drift along the curve of her back as he presses a kiss to her stomach through the fabric of her shirt. "Hey, Minnie. Be nice to Mom?"

She shifts, threading her hands through his hair. She thought this might be weird, having a man at her side through this whole pregnancy thing.

No. That's a lie.

She didn't think she'd be doing this again. Period. Just she and Al making their own way in the world.

But as her husband crouches in front of her, whispering words of comfort to a baby that had barely begun to form, Kate can't imagine doing this with anyone else in the world.

"What're you doing, Rick?" Al asks, standing behind him with a sneaker in either hand.

He grins, touching his lips to the area just near her bellybutton before turning around, folding his legs under him so he plops against the wall. "Saying hi to Minnie. Need help with the shoes, kid?"

"I wanna say hi to Minnie!" She drops the shoes and Castle snags them, working on unlacing the strings as Al pushes her face into Kate's midsection. "Hi, sister! We're gonna go see penguins." Al tips her head up, blinking at Kate with bright blue eyes. "Can I bring Penguin? She wants to see her friends."

"I think it would be better if Penguin stayed here, guarding the fort," Kate says, brushing a loose curl back from Al's face. "Let Rick help you with your shoes."

Al sits, wiggling her feet toward Castle so he can lace up her sneakers, matching Converse that clash a little with her sundress. "I think Minnie likes penguins. Can Penguin guard Minnie tonight?"

Kate smiles and she can feel her heart beating its way up her throat. "I think Minnie might like that a lot."

"I'm a good big sister," Al says confidently.

"Yeah," Castle agrees, tugging Al closer so he can tickle her sides. "You really are."

* * *

><p>It's the third time Castle has had to drag Al back from the fence separating the path from the animals' enclosures. The first time was right inside the entrance of the park where the girl was captivated by the spoonbills dipping their beaks below the water for food. Then she had found the macaws and proceeded to hold a conversation with them. And now it was the ring-tailed lemurs, swinging from branch to branch, chattering to one another.<p>

"Can we get one?" Al whispers, awestruck by the creatures.

Kate jumps in before Castle can answer because of course he would say yes. "I think they're happier here than they would be back at home, don't you think?"

"Maybe. Are there penguins we can take home?"

"And make Penguin jealous?" Castle suggests, gently nudging Al off away from the lemurs. "Let's stick with stuffed animals."

They round the corner and the Tree of Life dominates the view in front of them. And this time it is Al who runs over to one of the cast members with cameras hanging around their necks and tugs on their pocket.

"Can you take our picture?" she asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she glances back at Kate and Castle for confirmation that it was okay to talk to the person. "In front of the tree?"

The photographer juggles her cameras as Kate curls her fingers around Al's t-shirt. "Sound good to you, Mom and Dad?"

Castle hands over the little PhotoPass with a grin. "Definitely."

The woman gets them into a tight huddle, one that gives Castle an opportunity to slip his fingers under Kate's shirt and along the soft skin of her waist. She squirms away and, keeping the smile in place for the picture, reaches back and pinches him in that one spot on his back.

He screeches, jumping away from her and glaring. "Hey!"

"Get back in position, Rick. One more picture," Kate says innocently. Then she turns to the photographer, apologizing.

Once he has the PhotoPass back in his wallet, he grabs Kate's wrist, tugging her up against him. "With great power comes great responsibility. Use your knowledge for good, Kate."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

Kate strategizes their way around this park just as she did with the others. Holding one of the map brochures that Castle snagged from a container and leaning against his side, Al tucked safely between them, she slides her forefinger across the map.

"Start in Africa and do the safari," she says. "See if some lions and giraffes are awake, right, kid?"

"And zebras and elephants and hippopopopotomuses?"

She grins as Castle ruffles Al's hair. "Think you added a few syllables to that last one," he says.

Al shakes her head, hands settling at her hips in a manner that proves that the girl spends time watching her mother's every move. "No. I'm right. Girls are always right, silly."

"I've taught you well, grasshopper. Anyway," Kate continues, tracing a path over the map, "maybe we can go to Asia after. FastPass Expedition Everest before going to the jungle trek to kill time. Do the rollercoaster, go see Nemo, and go from there?"

Castle takes the map, folding it up to stuff into his pocket. "Solid plan. Come on, girls-who-are-always-right. Off to Africa."

They cross the bridge from the center island of the park to Africa, a sign welcoming them to Harambe. The queue line for the Kilimanjaro Safari is long, twisting around. Wait time says they've got about thirty minutes to stand around.

She sees Castle starting to get antsy after only ten minutes in line. "Patience," she murmurs. "It's so worth the wait."

"You can see elephants," Al reminds with a pat of her hand against his. "Like the ones in your room."

"And lions, like what Mom looks like after a rainstorm," he adds, leaning down to touch his fingertips to Al's.

"What is that?" Kate asks, brows quirked at the little movement the two are sharing.

Al shrugs, stepping forward when the people in front of them move. "We're feeding birds."

Not enough of an explanation, she turns to Castle. "Feeding birds?"

"Yeah! Look," he says, holding out his fingers, steepled into a triangle pointing toward the ground. Al mirrors the gesture, tapping the tops of her fingers to his. "See? Al's the birds and I feed them."

"So weird," Kate murmurs, shaking her head at the two of them.

"So jealous," Castle intones, tickling Kate's sides lightly.

The safari car they board has open sides and Castle takes the furthest spot when the cast member tells them that children can't sit on the outside seats. Still, Al keeps wiggling closer, practically climbing into his lap as the ride starts up.

Their guide points out animals as he drives the vehicle with one hand. Rhinos and elephants roam the savannah. They pause in the middle of the road when a group of gazelles cross in front of them. Castle has his phone out, taking pictures of the herd, one hand still around Al's waist to make sure she doesn't topple off his knee.

Lions lounge on outcrops of rocks, the lionesses higher up on the cliff than the male, who is sprawled out under a tree in the shade.

"See the lionesses?" Kate asks Al, pointing out one of them to the still-enraptured girl. "They do all the work in the family. Just like in real life."

Al giggles, her head touching Kate's temple briefly as she claps. "See, Rick? Girls are way better than boys."

"Ganging up on me," he mutters, ignoring them by snapping a picture of the lions.

"Sure you still want another girl?" Kate asks, looping her arm through his free one. "Three to one."

He nods, leaning over to place a quick kiss on her cheek. "Because I'll be able to train this one to stand with me."

As the safari continues, the driver receives word of a missing elephant that they must help find. There are poachers in the area that make the whole thing a lot more dangerous than it seems. They cross a bridge and it wobbles under the weight of the vehicle. Kate keeps a straight face as Al clutches her arm as they learn about Little Red.

"Mom, we gotta help the elephant," she whispers breathlessly, eyes scanning the savannah for the missing creature. "What if… What if we can't find her?"

A couple in front of them turns around, smiling at Al's concern.

Al doesn't seem to notice as she worries the hem of her t-shirt between her hands.

Her relief is evident as she relaxes against Castle's chest with a sigh as soon as they catch sight of Little Red, safe and back on the savannah. "She's okay," she says, patting Castle's cheek as though he were the one worried about the elephant, the one wiggling around nervously with each turn of the vehicle's wheel, expecting the worst. "See? She's okay."

They take a narrow path that leads from Africa over to Anandapur, home to the two towns within Asia. Kate keeps straight and watches Al's mouth drop. Everest looms over the treeline, the snowcapped tops a contrast to the wet heat lingering in the air. The sky is still a sickly grey color with tiny bits of sunshine peeking through.

"That's a mountain," she breathes, eyes wide. "There's a mountain in Disney."

"We'll go into the mountain later. Just gonna get some of those passes before we go see tigers," Kate tells the girl.

Their time isn't for another two hours so they wander leisurely through the Maharajah Jungle Trek. There's a Komodo dragon sunbathing on a large rock, eyes closed to the visitors gawking at it. Tigers are just as lazy as the lions on the savannah, though two little cubs wrestle off in the distance of the habitat. A peacock spreads it's brilliantly colored feathers, strutting right past the glass as Al waves at it.

"They have funny antlers," the girl comments, pointing out one of the blackbucks as it grazes in a little meadow. The male's antlers are striped, twisting in tight spirals.

"I think they're cool," Kate says, studying the deer. "Imagine running into things with antlers stuck out of your head."

Al's face scrunches up as she thinks of it. "Good thing we don't have antlers."

Once they get out of the trek, Castle suggests grabbing lunch. "We have time," he says, looking at his watch. "Might as well fuel up before we conquer Everest."

So they bypass Everest and the theatre where Finding Nemo: The Musical is held, moving into DinoLand, USA. The McDonald's is disguised as Restaurantosaurus. Kate finds a table easily; it's not yet eleven o'clock and most people aren't thinking about lunch yet.

"You bring Al and go get food. I'll hold the fort," she says. Mostly because her headache from the lack of caffeine and the edge of exhaustion make her think she can't stand in line too long. Food will help, she tells herself, gathering up napkins and straws to bring back to their little table.

She watches Castle point things out on the menu to Al, bent down to her level, smiling like a fool. He glances back, catches her staring. Castle pokes Al and she turns, waving wildly back at her. Her heart leaps into her throat because God, how did she get so lucky with those two? She gives a small smile back, waving, and waiting until they both step up to the counter before she wipes away a tear that escaped from her eye.

"Okay?" he asks, sliding the tray of food onto the table while Al balances the drinks in her arms. His fingers brush the wet track on her cheek. Of course he'd see.

Kate nods, helping Al distribute the drinks before she boosts up into her chair. "Hormones. Get used to it, Rick."

"Gonna be okay to go on Expedition Everest?"

"I'll be fine. You're the one who screams like a girl. You sure you're good to go on a rollercoaster?" Kate stabs lettuce, catching a bit of chicken on her fork. "We don't want any scaredy cats riding with us, do we, Al?"

"He can ride in the back," Al says decidedly.

They don't make him ride Expedition Everest in the back of the car, but they do kick him to the row behind them, more because each row is for two people rather than his girlish screaming. As the car climbs that first big hill, Kate nudges Al to get her to look out over the park, taking in the entire expanse of Africa and Asia and DinoLand and the huge tree in the center.

Al's giggles in her ear drown out any of Castle's screeches as they zip along the track through the mountain. And then, suddenly, the car rounds a corner and they're facing the broken end of the track.

"Mom," Al trails off, hand wrapping around Kate's wrist tightly.

The car lurches once before they hurdle backwards through the darkness. And it's Al that screams this time.

When the stop again, the fuzzy shadow of the Yeti appears on the wall of the cave, ripping up the tracks of the rollercoaster. Al's hand becomes a vise around her wrist, short-trimmed nails digging into Kate's skin.

They start forward again, faster than before as they burst out into the open, dropping quickly enough to make Kate's stomach flip with adrenaline. The flash of the camera surprises her and she knows it caught her making some strange face. Maybe she can get Castle and Al past the wall of screens showing the photos fast enough for them not to see.

When the ride halts, Al scrambles out, grabbing for Castle's arm. "That was so cool! Were you afraid, Rick?"

"Me? No. You?"

Al shakes her head, following Kate to the exit. "No. Mom was scared," she whispers.

They get to the theatre just in time for the start of the musical adapted from Finding Nemo. As they sit in the squished row of other park-goers, Kate helps Al track the little clownfish that flirts from bubble to bubble on either side of the stage.

But when the music begins and they get to see the larger-than-life anemone, Marlin and Coral remarking on the fantastic view they have and bickering over naming their children, Kate feels Castle's hand on her thigh. Actors use puppets as the characters, swimming across stage and singing about the "big blue world" they live in.

The story is condensed into half an hour of singing mixed with dialogue that Al could quote directly from the movie. No matter how many times Kate has seen that movie, the scene in the jellyfish with Dory still makes her tense up because of what could have happened. Then Crush and Squirt swoop in and lighten the mood with their surfer talk, banging their noggins together. Gil and the fish tank crew from the dentist's office help Nemo escape and find his way to the ocean, running into Dory.

When Nemo helps free Dory from the fishing net against his father's wishes, Kate finds Al's hand; the girl hates the scene where it looks like Nemo is dead. But everything ends happily as Nemo and his father make up, heading back home.

It's a mad rush to get out of the theatre once the show is over. They stay in their seats until most of the audience has left, letting everyone else clear out before they start to fight their way to the door.

And straight into the pouring rain.

"It's raining," states Al, tipping her head up so that the drops fall onto her face.

There's a flash, a fork of lightning across the sky, a moment before a crack of thunder follows.

"And thundering," adds the girl.

Castle takes both of their hands, slippery with the rain, and starts toward the exit. "Let's get back to the room. Unless there's anything else…?"

Kate shakes her head, pushing at her already-wet hair until it is mostly behind her shoulders. "Nope. To the buses."

Most of the other visitors have the same idea as the paths to the exit start to clog. The birds Al had admired on the way in had come out in force, relishing the torrential downpour. Ducks splash in the little lake and seagulls waddle through puddles on the paths. Al mimics them, feet landing in every puddle she can find as they make their way to the bus lines.

The bus's air conditioning blasts, making them shiver on the ride back to the resort. Castle's hand shakes as he unlocks the door, shooing them into the relative warmth.

"Shower, Al," Kate chatters, rubbing her hands over her arms.

"Can I be a fishy in the shower?" Al asks, trotting after Kate as she turns on the shower, testing the temperature.

Kate taps Al's nose. "Sure. Call if you need anything, okay?"

Castle already had their shower going, steam curling in the room.

"She's gonna be a fish," Kate remarks, tossing the soaked shirt into a corner.

"You're a lion," he says, touching the uncontrolled curls. "Crazy hair."

"Just for that," she says, knocking his hand away and giving him a shove toward the door, "you can wait to take your shower until I'm done."

The last thing she sees as she shuts the door on him is him fighting to keep a frown in place. A small smile takes over as he shouts "Love you!"

Kate opens the door, just enough to sneak her head out to kiss him. "Love you too."

The three of them have dripping hair as they cuddle up on the couch, the opening credits of Monsters, Inc. rolling on the TV. Al had dragged Penguin in, snuggling the bird into Kate's lap.

"She's protecting Minnie" is all that she offers as explanation. "Gotta make sure my sister is okay."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>He was letting Kate sleep, leaving her curled around the spare pillow with her hair in a fan over the bed. She had crashed the night before, dozing off on the bus ride back from their trip to EPCOT to see more of the World Showcase and try out Test Track. As soon as he had the door to the room unlocked, Kate had fallen into the bed, still clothed, and promptly begun to snore.<p>

So instead of rousing her from the sleep she so obviously needed, Castle goes out into the living room to check the weather and the news. He ducks his head into Al's room and finds the girl wide awake, talking quietly to Penguin.

"Hey, kid," he says, just loudly enough for the girl to hear. "What're you doing up so early?"

Al shrugs, holding Penguin close to her. "Couldn't sleep anymore."

"Come on, then," he says, holding out a hand to her. "Let's hang in the living room until Mom wakes up."

The girl takes Penguin with her, the bird flopping against the floor with her every step. Castle boosts her up onto the couch before settling next to her. He doesn't recognize the news anchors in Orlando and none of places sound familiar as the pretty woman on the screen talks about a winning lottery ticket being sold. Al is unusually quiet, clinging to his side, her thin, little fingers digging into his elbow.

"What's wrong?" he asks softly.

Al bites her lower lip and shakes her head. Then she buries her face into the fabric of Penguin's back. "Nothing."

"Something. You know you can tell me, right, Al?" Castle says, shifting so he faces her, one leg drawn up under his thigh. "What's going on?"

"Will you and Mom still love me when Minnie comes?" she blurts out. Immediately, she hides her face again as if ashamed that she even thought of it.

Castle pauses. This is Kate's territory. He's good at navigating most of the kid things – at least he is with this particular kid – but suddenly Al's insecurity transfers straight to him.

He knows the answer. Of course he and Kate will still love this amazing, funny, caring child. That won't change come hell or high water but for a time, he's sure their focus will shift a little. But their feelings toward Al won't abruptly disappear. He wants to pause the conversation, to go ask his sleeping wife what to say and do, but those slightly sorrowful and frightened blue eyes are peering at him from around Penguin and he can't just walk away from her. So he reaches out and gathers Al up into his arms, squeezing the girl tightly.

"No, Alexandra. We will always love you, no matter who or what happens, do you understand? Love doesn't just go away because someone gets a little brother or sister."

"Sister," Al corrects.

Castle smiles a little. "Of course. That love just grows and grows until everyone gets a little piece of it. So when Minnie is born, we're all gonna still love each other but we just get a little more love to spend toward Minnie." He pauses, finger-combing Al's tangled curls. "Does that make sense?"

"You won't love Minnie more than me?" she asks, sniffling as she cuddles into his lap. "You'll still keep me?"

He works to swallow the ball of grief that he feels for her. "Oh, kid," he says, touching his lips to Al's forehead. "You are stuck with us for a long, long time." He wipes away a track of a tear on her cheek. "Mom's not awake yet. What do you say to ice cream for breakfast?"

"Really?" Her face lights up. "Mom would never let us have ice cream for breakfast."

"All the more reason to do that right now."

Castle places Al on her feet before going to take the ice cream carton from the freezer. Al boosts up on her toetips to get spoons from the drawer, peeking over the top of the kitchen island as Castle scoops out large balls of chocolate ice cream. He hands her one of the brightly colored bowls, putting the ice cream back into the freezer.

"Back to the couch?" he suggests, gesturing with his bowl.

They snuggle up, clinking their bowls together before falling into silence, listening to the news anchors and weathermen and the sports report. Still cloudy but the nice meteorologist promises that the sun will make an appearance in the afternoon. Not horrible for their day before heading back home. He doesn't know if Kate has plans for the day other than spending the morning sleeping but it seems as though an extended trip to Downtown Disney for souvenirs and food might be a good idea.

The clock in the corner of the television declares it as nearly eleven o'clock by the time Kate stumbles from the hallway to their bedroom. She is rubbing her eyes, squinting into the light. "What time is it?" she mumbles, flopping into the armchair.

"Later than you usually get up," he responds, nudging the empty ice cream bowls under the coffee table so they're out of her view.

Al slides off the couch, climbing up into Kate's lap to rest her head against her mother's shoulder. "Morning, Mom."

When she places a kiss on Kate's lips, Kate's face scrunches up. "You've had chocolate." Her eyes narrow at him and Castle squirms a little under her gaze. "Rick…"

"What?" he asks as innocently as possible.

"Feeding her chocolate for breakfast? Really?"

"I do not know what you mean." Except he suddenly becomes completely engrossed with the television, looking everywhere but at Kate. Screaming guilty. "We had…"

Kate holds a hand up as he trails off. "Al," she says, turning her head down to the girl and in that moment, Castle knew he was screwed. "What did you and Rick have for breakfast?"

"Uh…" The girl's eyes flick to Castle then back to Kate. "We had…"

"Chocolate ice cream," Kate says. "You ate chocolate ice cream for breakfast."

"It was warranted." He needs to explain but not in front of Al. He fumbles for the remote, switching it over to the Disney Channel. "Al, we're gonna go make the game plan. Chill here for a few minutes?"

Al transfers over to the couch as Castle helps Kate up to her feet from the chair, linking his fingers with hers. It takes effort not to drag her into their bedroom, not to forcibly sit her down on the bed as he starts to pace along the room. She curls her legs up under her, grabbing one of the pillows and hugging it against her chest.

"Okay," she starts, watching as he worries his hands together. "What made chocolate ice as breakfast a good idea?"

"She thought we'd stop loving her when the baby comes." It comes out in a rush as he sits down heavily in the armchair in the corner. "She thought we wouldn't want her anymore."

"Oh. Oh," Kate sighs, dropping the pillow and crawling over to the opposite side of the bed, reaching out to trail her fingertips over his arm.

His head is back against the chair. Turning his hand over, he touches his fingers to hers. "I had no idea what to say. Because I haven't even done this once and I never had siblings so I don't even have personal experience to go off of. I froze. And she just kept looking at me, pretty much on the verge of tears, and so I did the one thing that always comforted me and we had ice cream."

She unfolds herself from the bed, bracing her arms on either of the armrests to brush a kiss over his lips. "What did you tell her?"

"That of course we'll still love her. That we get a little more love to spend on the baby."

"You done good, Daddy," she says, kissing him lightly. "So very good."

"Good enough to forgive ice cream for breakfast?"

"Maybe just good enough to scrape by." She leans a hip on the side of the chair, threading her fingers through his hair. "So… Game plan for our last day?"

He places a hand against her side, his thumb skimming over her belly button. "Downtown Disney?"

"You just want to get Al one of those Belle dresses," Kate accuses.

"Duh. Especially after this morning. And maybe more ice cream."

* * *

><p>They're sitting on one of the benches in the little amphitheatre, sharing bits of cinnamon sugar pretzel as Al spins and twirls on the edge of the stage. Her foot is hooked around his calf, legs pressing together from hip to knee.<p>

"What time does the plane leave tomorrow?" she asks quietly, eyes on the girl doing some form of Peter Pan kicks across the platform.

Castle holds out a piece of the pretzel to her mouth. "Nine tomorrow morning. Early alarm."

She takes hold of his wrist, letting her lips caress over his fingertips with a teasing smile. "Just means an earl y bedtime."

"For us too?"

"Yes," Kate says, rolling her eyes. Before he can pout – she knows that's coming – she braces a hand on the wood beneath them so she can brush a kiss over his lips. "Real celebration when we get back to New York, okay?"

"And by real celebration, you mean…"

He trails off as Al runs back to them, leaping up so that she ends up sprawled across both of their laps. "Did ya see me dancin'?"

"We certainly did," Kate says, tucking Al's hair back behind her ear. "Scootch off, kid. You're crushing the presents."

Castle moves the bags of souvenirs they had collected after nearly two hours wandering through the massive rooms of World of Disney to the ground at their feet. They had mugs for the boys and Jim, a little glass figurine for Martha, a ceramic Daisy Duck dressed in scrubs for Lanie. All cushioned by t-shirts and plenty of tissue paper.

"What're we doing next?" Al asks, squeezing her way in between the two.

"Maybe head back to the room and get dinner. Spend the last night being lazy before we start packing up," suggests Kate, reaching around Al's back to touch Castle's shoulder, rubbing at his neck.

Al's face falls, her upper lip quivering just a little. "Like, to go home?" When Castle nods, the girl shakes her head, burying it into his chest. "No. Wanna stay."

"But what about Minnie?"

She turns up to Kate with a look that screams 'are you serious?' "Mom. Minnie should be born here. With Mickey and stuff."

"What about at home with Grandpa and Martha?" asks Castle. "I think they'll want to be around."

Al sighs. "Fine. But can we have pizza for dinner?"

"Duh," says Castle. "Unless we want to have smorelettes!"

"No," comes Kate's immediate response. "Never again."

"Oh, you loved those," says Al, cuddling over to her mother's side. "Smorelettes are yummy."

"I hated those. You two are the ones with strange tastebuds."

They gather up their things and Al steals the last bit of the pretzel to eat as they walk back toward the parking lot. Castle has his phone to his ear, calling up the pizza place to order the food so they can pick it up on the drive back to the room. He goes for the passenger seat so Kate helps Al into the backseat before sliding behind the wheel.

"Might take about an hour," he says, hitting the end button on the phone. When Kate gapes at him, he shrugs. "Busy place. Listen, why don't I drop you and Al back at the room. I'll go pick up the pizza and bring it back."

"You sure?"

He touches the back of her hand on the wheel, making her glance at him from the road. "Totally. Spend some time with just the girls."

"Girls? Plural?"

"Cause of Minnie, silly!" adds Al from the backseat. "Duh, Mom."

She wants to turn and scold the girl for speaking back but she's working through the tangled traffic to get back to the resort. "Al…" she warns, trying to meet her eyes in the rearview mirror. "Hate to break this to you but the baby might be a boy."

"No. It's not."

Kate smiles at Castle as she pulls into the resort. "If you two insist."

Castle switches seats with Kate once she parks in front of the building. Before she can cross behind the back of the car to get Al from the car, he grabs her around the waist, tugging her up against him. "It's a girl."

"Can't know that for certain at this point," she reminds him, head tilted back to look at him. "Gonna take a few months to figure that out."

"But I know. A little girl with brown hair and your eyes." He places a chaste kiss on her mouth, fingers running up her back. "My sense of fun, your quiet strength."

Kate feels tears press at the back of her eyes, has to push her face into his chest to stop them from spilling over. "Rick…"

"Okay, okay," he says, touching hips lips to her forehead. "Too much at once. Let me go get dinner for my girls before we start the packing mania."

Al demands that they play Disney music while gathering some of the things they won't need tomorrow for the plane ride home, filling part of the suitcase. They snack on chips and salsa on passes from the bedrooms to the living room.

"Mom," Al starts as Kate arranges things in the first suitcase. "What if the baby is a boy? What can I do with him?"

"Well, you can still teach him how to sneak out of bed to watch TV and we can still take trips to the coffee shop and you can trick him into doing the dishes for you. Not sure how the Princess Leia braids would go over," Kate says with a smile.

When Castle shows up with the pizza, they pause, cuddling up on the floor next to the couch. Kate leans her head on his shoulder, reaching up with a napkin to dab at a bit of grease at the corner of his mouth.

"It wasn't too much," she murmurs. "Before. It's just that maybe it hasn't really set in yet."

He shifts – Al's in his lap, head cushioned on his chest – enough to glance down at Kate. "Scared?"

"Completely."

"We can do this. You've got help this time." Castle taps on Al's head. "Right, kid?"

Al turns, nearly dropping her slice of pizza and the crust she refuses to eat, and wraps them both in the best hug possible. "I'll help with Minnie… or the boy. Cause I love them."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Young at Heart**_

* * *

><p>Al is still mostly asleep when Castle scoops her up out of the plane seat, making sure that the girl's head is cushioned on his shoulder. He loops the carry-on over the opposite shoulder before stepping out into the aisle ahead of Kate.<p>

"You got her?" she asks, touching his waist with her fingertips.

He turns his head just a little, enough to catch a glimpse to her. "Definitely. You just worry about the other carry-on."

They sidle off the plane, thanking the attendants as they pass. The walkway up to the terminal is freezing but he can see the pavement of the landing strip outside sizzling in the heat. Great. The Florida heat follows them back home. While waiting for their luggage at the baggage claim, he shifts the sleeping child up further onto his shoulder as she droops down.

"Boy, she is a dead-weight," he grunts when Al tries to curl up, a knee digging into his stomach painfully.

Kate reaches over to thread her fingers through the girl's hair even as Al's hands grip the short hairs at the nape of his neck painfully. "But an adorable dead-weight, yes?"

"She has some charms." Castle holds a hand against Al's back, keeping her in place, as he leans forward to smudge his lips over hers. "Must have been her mystery father."

He waits for Kate to pull back; she's never really joked about Al's biological dad before and he doesn't know if he's crossed an unspoken line. Swallowing hard, he watches as Kate surprises him. She always surprises him.

And she squeezes his hand, letting her head settle on his bicep. "Then I have no idea what we're going to tell this baby because it's doomed to have the worst genes ever."

"Very funny. We both know my genes are superior. They'll save the baby from this horrible fate." He nods his head toward the conveyor belt. "Our suitcases."

Kate dashes over to grab the bags.

"Home?" Al shifts her head, rolling it over the dip of his shoulder. "We home?"

He smoothes a hand over the girl's curls, fingers catching in some of the tangles from sleeping on the plane. "Very nearly. Just the car ride back to the apartment ahead of us."

"M'kay."

Castle takes one of the suitcases from Kate, popping the handle up to start wheeling it toward the exit. He called the car service once they landed so the inconspicuous navy blue sedan is waiting in the pick-up lane. The man in the pressed black pants and tailored white shirt helps him and Kate get the suitcases and carry-on bags into the trunk as Castle struggles to balance the child in his arms.

"I got her," Kate says, snaking her arms between his to lift Al up enough for Castle to slide into the backseat.

Al snuggles into the space between them, burying her face into Kate's side as her toes push into Castle's thigh.

"Wow. This girl is so not a jetsetter," Castle mutters, winking over Al's head at Kate.

"Well we won't be going anywhere too soon so it shouldn't be a problem." When he raises a brow, Kate tugs on his ear. "Pregnant people don't tend to fly around the country too often."

"I'll keep you entertained."

"I'm gonna hate you in about six months or so."

He narrows his eyes, finding her shoulder over the back of the seat. "Kate…"

She shakes her head. "I'm a horrible pregnant woman, Rick. Plus, no caffeine. You're going to hate me a little too."

"Not possible," he whispers.

They juggle luggage and a sleeping child once the car stops. Eduardo is at the front desk but Kate stops him from getting up and helping with a wave of her hand. Since Castle has Al and their two carry-ons, Kate is the one who calls for the elevator, holding the door open to make sure he can get in behind her.

"Keys?"

He wiggles his right arm and she dips her fingers into the pocket of his jeans to take out the keyring, unlocking the front door. They drop the bags in the doorway in the afternoon light. Castle starts up the stairs and can sense Kate at his back, following him down the hall to Al's room. Kate pulls down the sheets on her bed, letting him step next to her to lay Al down.

Al curls onto her side, pulling the pillow closer to her face before sighing heavily. "Love you, Mom and Rick."

"Love ya too," Castle says, nudging Kate back toward the door.

Once they're out in the hallway again, Al's door cracked shut behind them, Kate is up against him.

"Thank you," she whispers against his neck. She swallows hard, pushing up on her tiptoes to coast her mouth along his jaw. "Thank you."

His hands skim over her sides until he can hook them under her thighs, lifting her up against his chest. Her ankles link behind his back, her lips continuing along his cheek. "Nothing to thank me for," he says, starting back toward the bedroom.

"Yes, there is," Kate protests. "I never could have done this for her."

"Sure you could have."

"No," she says, placing a finger over his lips. "I couldn't. Not just because I didn't have the money…"

"Married me for my money. Good to know," he murmurs with a grin.

She continues as if he hadn't interrupted. "…Or the time. But because I couldn't, wouldn't, let myself relax that much. You let me." Her forehead tips forward, touching his so that their noses slide past one another. "You let me relax and have fun and God, I don't think I can thank you enough for that."

"I can think of a few ways," he responds with a smiling kiss against her lips. "Happy honeymoon, Kate."

Kate smudges her lips over his cheekbone. "Happy honeymoon, Dad."


End file.
